INFLUENCE OF HARVESTING AND CONSERVATION PRACTICES ON FORAGE QUALITY

Abstract

Mechanization of the harvesting, handling and storage of forage crops has undergone major development in recent years which has resulted in the availability of a variety of systems for both hay and silage. In spite of these developments, a significant proportion of the potential crop, in terms of both quantity and quality, is lost in the field, during storage or when fed. This review begins by examining the effects of the wilting and drying process on plant composition. The effects of various cutting, conditioning and windrowing treatments on field loss are discussed. Several haying systems are examined in terms of the losses which have been measured with each. The objectives involved in ensiling are described and the nature of losses in silage systems are considered. The results of a comparative study of several harvesting systems are presented. Research on the effectiveness of a variety of additives and preservatives which have been evaluated with hay and silage is discussed. The review concludes with a brief comment regarding the need for increased emphasis toward a more integrated approach to forage harvesting research by scientists in a variety of disciplines in order to provide producers with additional practical methods of reducing the extensive losses which many experience in their efforts to conserve forage quality at its optimum.Key words: Forage quality, hay, silage, forage harvesting systems, forage conservation, additives and preservatives