Silage yield and quality of maize cultivars in central Gujarat conditions

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2020 at the Fodder Demonstration Unit, National Dairy Development Board, Anand, Gujarat, to evaluate ten maize cultivars for fodder yield and silage quality using a randomized block design with three replications. Significant differences were observed among the cultivars for fodder yield, silage yield, and quality traits. The inter- cropping treatment of DMRH-1410 + fodder cowpea produced the highest green fodder yield (31.73 t ha–¹) and crude protein yield (0.81 t ha–¹), while hybrid P-3502 recorded the highest dry matter yield (10.30 t ha–¹), ether extract yield (0.24 t ha–¹) and silage yield (25.93 t ha–¹). Compared with the national check PMC-6, hybrid P-3502 produced 17.1% and 13.1% higher dry matter and silage yields, respectively. Silage pH ranged from 3.97 to 4.93, indicating satisfactory fermentation across the treatments. The DMRH-1410 + fodder cowpea treatment also recorded the highest crude protein content in fodder (11.34%) and silage (9.27%). Neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre contents varied significantly among cultivars in both fodder and silage. Overall, P-3502 proved superior performance for dry matter and silage production, whereas inter-cropping of DMRH-1410 with fodder cowpea enhanced fodder yield and protein productivity. Public- and private-sector cultivars exhibited comparable overall performance for fodder and silage production.