Chemical and physical characteristics of corn silages and their effects on in vitro disappearance

Estimating the available energy in corn silage provides a unique challenge because the silage contains variable proportions of grain and stover, each of which can differ in availability due to chemical composition and physical form. The objectives of this study were to investigate relationships among chemical components and their relationships with in vitro disappearance of ground and unground dried silages, and to quantify minimally fragmented starch in corn silage and investigate its impact and that of mean particle size (MPS) on in vitro disappearance of unground silages. Thirty-two corn silages were selected to provide diversity in dry matter, protein, fiber, and MPS. Detergent fibers were highly correlated with each other and with nonfiber carbohydrates, and were used to develop prediction equations between these constituents. Sieves with apertures > or =4.75 mm were used to isolate intact kernels and large kernel fragments, which were collected and analyzed to measure minimally fragmented starch (Starch>4.75). Dividing Starch>4.75 by total starch defined the proportion of minimally fragmented starch (Starch>4.75/Total), which ranged from 9 to 100% with a mean of 52%. Starch>4.75/Total was positively correlated with MPS (r = 0.46). The inverse of Starch>4.75/Total is an index of kernel fragmentation. Silages were prepared as whole material or ground to pass through a 4- or 1-mm screen of a cutter mill. In vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) was greater for ground than for whole samples (71.7 and 61.2%, respectively). Increased IVDMD for ground samples was attributed to greater in vitro neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and neutral detergent solubles (NDS) disappearances. The IVDMD of ground samples was related to NDF and acid detergent lignin (R2 = 0.80). The IVDMD of whole corn silage was related to acid detergent lignin, Starch>4.75, MPS, and dry matter. When IVDMD was partitioned into in vitro digestible NDS (IVdNDS) and in vitro digestible NDF, the IVdNDS of whole was not uniform or completely fermented. The difference in IVdNDS between ground and whole was related to Starch>4.75/Total. In conclusion, the proportion of minimally fragmented starch provides a corn silage fragmentation index that is related to the in vitro digestion of whole silages that, if validated by in vivo trials, may be a useful quantitative substitute for the qualitative processing adjustment factor that is used currently in summative equations for estimating the total digestible nutrients of corn silages.