Silage additives: test results 2009

The efficacy of the silage additive Silostar Protect in improving the aerobic stability of wilted grass silages was investigated. Forage of a mixture containing mainly grasses from the first and second cuts was pre-wilted to 40 % DM and ensiled in laboratory scale silos. Besides the variant with Silostar Protect, a variant without additive and another with propionic acid (positive control) were investigated. The storage period lasted for 56 days. Seven days before the silos were opened, they underwent an air-stress. All silages showed a good fermentation quality and therefore high DLG points.The silages of the first cut did not heat up. In contrast to the variant without additive, both positive control and Silostar Protect variant did improve the aerobic stability of the silages of the second cut.