TY - JOUR
T1 - Ensiling sugar beets
T2 - Sampling, chemical composition, and digestibility of mixed sugar beet silage
AU - Hvas, Emma Marie Vallentin
AU - Larsen, Mogens
AU - Andersen, Lars
AU - Bedenk, Ulrike
AU - Weisbjerg, Martin Riis
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/5
Y1 - 2025/5
N2 - The aim of this study was to 1) identify the sampling method for representative sampling of mixed beet silages, 2) describe the chemical composition and digestibility of mixed silages, 3) assess the extent of crude protein (CP) degradation in rapeseed meal when co-ensiled with beets, and 4) compare large-scale with laboratory-scale ensiled silages. Ensiling was performed in November 2021 and January 2022 to produce two silage sets. A total of 7 mixed silages were made as large-scale ensiling in round bales by co-ensiling high dry matter (DM) sugar beets with either maize silage, grass/clover silage, grass seed straw, dried beet pulp, fresh beet pulp, or rapeseed meal. At the same time, beets ensiled with maize silage, grass/clover silage, grass seed straw, and fresh beet pulp were replicated as laboratory-scale ensiling in vacuum bags. After 30, 92, and 181 days of ensiling, two samples were obtained from mixed silages ensiled in bales: 1 bore sample using a silage sampling drill and 1 large sample from the side of the bale. The large sample was minced in an industrial bowl cutter to get a representative homogeneous sample. To investigate the degradation of CP in rapeseed meal co-ensiled with beets, Dacron bags containing pure rapeseed meal were added to bales during baling. The DM of mixed silages ensiled in bales and sampled as a large sample varied between (mean ± SEM) 248 ± 8.10 and 363 ± 8.10 g/kg at 181 days of ensiling, and pH for all mixed silages was below 4.2 at 30 days of ensiling. Mixed silage content of ethanol at 181 days of ensiling varied between 17.1 ± 12.7 and 140 ± 12.7 g/kg DM for mixed silages ensiled in bales and sampled as a large sample. Differences between sampling methods were found for mixed silage DM, pH, NH3, acetate, L-lactate, ethanol, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, maltose, and mannitol. For most mixed silages, these differences disappeared after 92 days of ensiling, where the silages were stable and could be representatively sampled using a silage drill. The organic matter digestibility (OMD; in-vivo calculated from in-vitro) of the mixed silages after 181 days of ensiling varied between 685 ± 3.27 and 903 ± 6.50 g/kg OM for mixed silages ensiled in bales and sampled as a large sample. Chemical composition varied depending on mixer feed. No evidence of CP degradation in rapeseed meal was found when co-ensiled with beets. Furthermore, using laboratory-scale ensiling in vacuum bags as a model for large-scale ensiling may result in an overestimation of fermentation products and an underestimation of fermentable sugars.
AB - The aim of this study was to 1) identify the sampling method for representative sampling of mixed beet silages, 2) describe the chemical composition and digestibility of mixed silages, 3) assess the extent of crude protein (CP) degradation in rapeseed meal when co-ensiled with beets, and 4) compare large-scale with laboratory-scale ensiled silages. Ensiling was performed in November 2021 and January 2022 to produce two silage sets. A total of 7 mixed silages were made as large-scale ensiling in round bales by co-ensiling high dry matter (DM) sugar beets with either maize silage, grass/clover silage, grass seed straw, dried beet pulp, fresh beet pulp, or rapeseed meal. At the same time, beets ensiled with maize silage, grass/clover silage, grass seed straw, and fresh beet pulp were replicated as laboratory-scale ensiling in vacuum bags. After 30, 92, and 181 days of ensiling, two samples were obtained from mixed silages ensiled in bales: 1 bore sample using a silage sampling drill and 1 large sample from the side of the bale. The large sample was minced in an industrial bowl cutter to get a representative homogeneous sample. To investigate the degradation of CP in rapeseed meal co-ensiled with beets, Dacron bags containing pure rapeseed meal were added to bales during baling. The DM of mixed silages ensiled in bales and sampled as a large sample varied between (mean ± SEM) 248 ± 8.10 and 363 ± 8.10 g/kg at 181 days of ensiling, and pH for all mixed silages was below 4.2 at 30 days of ensiling. Mixed silage content of ethanol at 181 days of ensiling varied between 17.1 ± 12.7 and 140 ± 12.7 g/kg DM for mixed silages ensiled in bales and sampled as a large sample. Differences between sampling methods were found for mixed silage DM, pH, NH3, acetate, L-lactate, ethanol, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, maltose, and mannitol. For most mixed silages, these differences disappeared after 92 days of ensiling, where the silages were stable and could be representatively sampled using a silage drill. The organic matter digestibility (OMD; in-vivo calculated from in-vitro) of the mixed silages after 181 days of ensiling varied between 685 ± 3.27 and 903 ± 6.50 g/kg OM for mixed silages ensiled in bales and sampled as a large sample. Chemical composition varied depending on mixer feed. No evidence of CP degradation in rapeseed meal was found when co-ensiled with beets. Furthermore, using laboratory-scale ensiling in vacuum bags as a model for large-scale ensiling may result in an overestimation of fermentation products and an underestimation of fermentable sugars.
KW - Co-ensiling
KW - Ethanol
KW - Fermentation products
KW - Sucrose
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105000818261&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2025.116302
DO - 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2025.116302
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:105000818261
SN - 0377-8401
VL - 323
JO - Animal Feed Science and Technology
JF - Animal Feed Science and Technology
M1 - 116302
ER -