The effect of cultivar and stage of growth on the fermentation, aerobic stability and nutritive value of ensiled Quinoa

Abstract

Quinoa can be an important source of silage as an alternative forage crop. However, there is limited information on the ensiling of quinoa. This study aimed to investigate the silage fermentation quality, nutritive value and aerobic stability of quinoa cultivars harvested at different plant growing stages. The experiment was carried out in experimental area of the Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Agriculture in 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. The experiment was laid out in a split plot in randomized block design with three replications, three main plots were harvesting times (flowering, milky and dough stages) and five sub-plots were cultivars (Mint Vanilla, Cherry Vanilla, French Vanilla, Red Head and Titicaca). Traits such as pH, ammonia nitrogen, lactic acid bacteria, lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid, ethanol, dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, crude protein, ash, ether extract, water soluble carbohydrate and relative feed value were investigated to determine silage fermentation quality and nutritive value. In addition, all silages were evaluated in terms of aerobic stability. Among the evaluated quinoa cultivars in terms of fermentation quality, cv. Titicaca and cv. French Vanilla provided superior results compared to other cultivars. It was also determined that it would be more appropriate to harvest these superior quinoa cultivars during the dough stage for quality silage. Among the silages, the cv. Titicaca had the best aerobic stability. As a result of this study, it was concluded that cv. French Vanilla and cv. Titicaca should be harvested during the dough stage to obtain better silage quality. According to the results of this study, it was deduced that the quinoa plant could be an alternative ensiling crop.