QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS OF ALFALFA (MEDICAGO SATIVA L.) SILAGE USING ENSILED PEAR (PYRUS COMMUNIS L.) AS CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) has low carbohydrate content but high buffering capacity. Given these characteristics, it is inadvisable to ensile alfalfa alone as silage. In this study, pear fruit waste was added to alfalfa as a carbohydrate source at various rates (5%, 10%, and 15%), and physical and quality features and the mineral content of silage samples were determined under laboratory conditions. The results showed that adding pear waste to alfalfa silage significantly lowered the alfalfa’s pH level. In addition, the silages digestibility increased and its contents of potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) increased as its ratio of pear waste increased. Therefore, adding pear fruit waste to alfalfa silage increases both silage digestibility and the content of some minerals.