Bareroot deciduous trees of 11 species were planted with 0, 15, 30 or 45% of the tops removed immediately following planting. A total of 528 trees were evaluated over a 2-year period. Top pruning had no effect on survival or initiation of growth of any species except pecan which was slightly slower to break buds when the tops were not pruned. Likewise, adding fertilizer to the soil surface following planting had no detrimental effect to survival or initiation of the 6 species tested. There was no advantage of the indiscriminate pruning of tops of bareroot deciduous trees at planting time and pruning more than 15% of the top appeared to be detrimental to the structural development and natural form of the species. Apparently the moisture stress from leaving the entire plant top intact is offset by the more rapid development of a supporting root system from the additional carbohydrates produced.

High moisture feeds such as baleage are becoming a more practiced feed storage method in the Southeast due to the ability for more timely harvests and consistent forage quality compared with dry hay. The objective of this study was to determine the nutritive quality and fermentation kinetics of three different cool-season annual mixtures stored as baleage. The forage treatments were wheat (Triticum aestivum) + T-Raptor (Brassica rapa × napus; WT), wheat + crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum; WC), and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) + oats (Avena sativa) + crimson clover (ROC) which were planted at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, AL, as a 3 × 2 × 8 factorial design (n = 3). Forage was either inoculated (I) or not inoculated (N) with a cereal/grass silage inoculant to determine its efficacy in promoting proper fermentation. Samples were taken at 8 different days after ensiling to determine fermentation kinetics and quality. Crude protein of WC was greater (P ≤ 0.005) than all other forage treatments (17.1%) and wheat + crimson clover-I was greater (P = 0.024) than WC-N (17.7 and 16.4%, respectively). However, ROC–N had greater (P = 0.033) CP than ROC–I (16.5 and 15.0%, respectively). Wheat + T-raptor ensiled with the lowest (P ≤ 0.003) pH while ROC had the greatest (P ≤ 0.001; 4.5 and 5.4, respectively). Forage treatments WC and WT did not differ (P = 0.140) in lactic acid concentration (3.7%); however, both were greater (P ≤ 0.001) than ROC (0.9%). There were no differences (P ≥ 0.128) in acetic acid concentration among all forage treatments (3.5%). The results of this study indicate that WC had the greatest nutrient quality, but do not indicate that silage inoculants offer benefits to baleage fermentation kinetics.

In southeastern USA, the use of baleage has increased as an alternative technology to hay production, thereby allowing for a timelier harvest of the conserved forage. A series of studies were conducted to determine the nutritive value, fermentation parameters, and in situ disappearance of the cool-season annual forage mixtures that were ensiled with or without silage inoculant for up to 120 d. The forage mixtures were wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) + brassica hybrid (Brassica rapa L. × napus L.) (WB), wheat + crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) (WC), and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) + oat (Avena sativa L.) + crimson clover (ROC). The inoculant strategy affected the CP concentration (p < 0.05), with it increasing in WB and decreasing in ROC. Among the mixtures, the DM concentration decreased by up to 5%, and the NDF and ADF concentrations decreased by up to 10% during the ensiling period. The pH averaged 5.0, 5.0, and 5.5 for the WC, WB, and ROC mixtures, respectively. Based on our results, the baleage of the cool-season annual forage mixtures may provide a viable high-quality option to sustain animal growth and performance.

Baleage production is gaining popularity in the Southeast due to the ability for more timely harvests and more consistent forage quality compared with hay. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of cool-season mixtures for baleage production. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) with T-Raptor (Brassica rapa × napus; WT) or crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum; WC) were planted at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, AL, as a 2 × 2 factorial design (n = 3). Forage was treated or un-treated with silage inoculant to determine its efficacy in promoting proper fermentation. Samples were taken at 7 different time intervals to determine fermentation characteristics and quality. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.15) in ADF concentration among treatments, but day 120 after ensiling was greater (P ≤ 0.002) than all other sampling dates. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.11) in NDF between forages, silage inoculants, or among days and averaged 50.75 %. The CP of the WC treatment was greater (P ≤ 0.0001) than WT by 3.6 units. Inoculated forage was greater (P ≤ 0.0001) than non-inoculated by 1.06 units. Crude protein was greater (P = 0.005) on day 120 than day 0. Inoculated WT had greater (P < 0.0001) total acid content than non-inoculated (8.35 vs. 6.19 %, respectively). Wheat+clover had 1.5 units more total acid than WT. Inoculated forage had greater (P ≤ 0.0006) total acid present than non-inoculated forage. Butyric acid concentration increased (P ≤ 0.0001) with increasing days after ensiling. Butyric acid tended to be greater (P = 0.05) in WC than WT, likely due to increased pH in clover treatments as a result of legume buffering capacity. The results indicate that silage inoculants offer minimal benefits to baleage fermentation when using cool-season annual mixtures

Baleage production is gaining popularity in the Southeast due to the ability for more timely harvests and more consistent forage quality compared with hay. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of cool-season mixtures for baleage production. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) with T-Raptor (Brassica rapa × napus; WT) or crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum; WC) were planted at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, AL as a 2 × 2 factorial design (n = 3). Forage was treated or un-treated with silage inoculant to determine its efficacy in promoting proper fermentation. Samples were taken at 7 different time intervals to determine fermentation characteristics and quality. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.15) in ADF concentration among treatments, but day 120 after ensiling was greater (P ≤ 0.002) than all other sampling dates. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.11) in NDF between forages, silage inoculants, or among days and averaged 50.75%. The CP of the WC treatment was greater (P ≤ 0.0001) than WT by 3.6 units. Inoculated forage was greater (P ≤ 0.0001) than non-inoculated by 1.06 units. Crude protein was greater (P = 0.005) on day 120 than day 0. Inoculated WT had greater (P < 0.0001) total acid content than non-inoculated (8.35 vs. 6.19%, respectively). Wheat+clover had 1.5 units more total acid than WT. Inoculated forage had greater (P ≤ 0.0006) total acid present than non-inoculated forage. Butyric acid concentration increased (P ≤ 0.0001) with increasing days after ensiling. Butyric acid tended to be greater (P = 0.05) in WC than WT, likely due to increased pH in clover treatments as a result of legume buffering capacity. The results indicate that silage inoculants offer minimal benefits to baleage fermentation when using cool-season annual mixtures