Predicted milk production per hectare based on yield and chemical composition of native and hybrid maize silage varieties on temperate and tropical regions

The objective of the present study was to characterize maize silage according to chemical composition, maize silage yield, as well as their predicted milk production. A search was made on studies related to maize silage yield, density, chemical composition (DM, CP, NDF, starch), and dry matter digestibility (DMD). In this study, 41 maize varieties from temperate regions and 101 maize varieties from tropical origin were analyzed. The net energy of lactation (NEL Mcal/kg DM), kilograms of milk per t of silage (kg of milk/t DM), and kilograms of milk per hectare of silage (kg of milk/ha) were determined. A cluster (CL) analysis was performed, and six CL of maize silage were obtained. The CL1 included digestibility for dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, NEL, and kg of milk/t DM. CL2 was characterized by maize silage with the highest number of plants per hectare and NDF. CL3 included the highest ash content. CL4 consisted of intermediate values for all variables. CL5 included the highest forage yield (t DM/ha) and kg of milk/ha whereas CL6 included the highest kg of milk/t. Overall, CL1 resulted in the highest DMD and NEL, producing more milk per t DM. Results suggested that the ideal option is maize silage with a higher forage yield and more than 35 % DM (CL5) since this produces more kg of milk per hectare.