Effect of the stage of growth, wilting and inoculation in field pea (Pisum sativum L.) silages. I. Herbage composition and silage fermentation

Abstract

Effect of the stage of growth, wilting and inoculation in field pea (Pisum sativum L.) silages. I. Herbage composition and silage fermentationAbstract: The stage of growth, field wilting and inoculation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) effects were studied by ensiling herbage of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) at four consecutive stages. Stands of semi-leafless field pea, sown in spring, were harvested at four progressive morphological stages (end of flowering, I; beginning of pod filling, II; advanced pod filling, III; beginning of ripening, IV). For each stage of growth, the herbage was field wilted to a dry matter (DM) content of 318, 300, 348 and 360 g kg −1 for stages I, II, III and IV, respectively. The unwilted and wilted herbages were ensiled in 5-L silos, with (I) and without (C) a LAB inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum). High levels of ethanol, lactic acid and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were observed in all silages, facilitated by the high levels of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) at ensiling (from 111 to 198 g kg −1 DM). Despite the low pH values (4.3 and 4.1 for C and I silages, respectively), all the silages showed detectable levels of butyric acid. Field peas can be successfully ensiled after a short wilting period with reduced field curing and reduce DM losses onward from advanced pod filling stage, with the aid of LAB inoculum.

Effect of the stage of growth, wilting and inoculation in field pea (Pisum sativum L.) silages. II. Nitrogen fractions and amino acid compositions of herbage and silage

“…The wilting reduced the protein degradation in all the silages, except in stage II, by decreasing the NPN, NH 3 ‐N and the free AA concentrations, as observed in lucerne 23. The ammonia level was never higher than 140 g kg −1 , as expected with a lactic acid‐dominated fermentation,2 and was notably reduced by inoculation, by a factor of 2–3, in all the silages except at stage I. This effect has been thoroughly described for inoculated silages made from several grass and legume crops 26.…”

“…The trial was carried out in 2001 to study the effects of wilting and inoculation with LAB on the ensiling of peas cut at four progressive morphological stages (end of flowering, stage I; beginning of pod filling, stage II; advanced pod filling, stage III; beginning of ripening, stage IV). The crop characteristics, the experimental design and the sampling procedures are described in Part I 2…”

“…Legume silage protein represents the most important determinant of their silage nutritive value from an economic point of view 1. Grain pea ( Pisum sativum ) is a legume catch‐crop with a high crude protein content, that can provide up to 1400 kg of crude protein per hectare within a relatively short growing period 2. Furthermore, grain peas can be successfully ensiled as whole crops at advanced stages of maturity, with the aid of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculation.…”

Effect of ensiling field bean, field pea and common vetch in different proportions with whole‐crop wheat using formic acid or an inoculant on fermentation characteristics

“…Adesogan and Salawu (2004) found that FA applied at a rate of 2·5 g kg −1 significantly decreased ammonia‐N concentration of FP silage compared to an inoculant ( L. buchneri , L. plantarum , Pediococcus pentosaceus ), although not below 80 g kg −1 N. However, they observed that in wheat–pea mixtures protein breakdown was more effectively restricted by the inoculant than by FA. Borreani et al. (2006) observed that, compared to untreated silage, L. plantarum significantly reduced protein breakdown in unwilted FP silage ensiled at the pod‐filling stage but not in silage ensiled at the end of flowering, which was considered to be related to the higher BC of the less mature herbage at the pod‐filling stage.…”

Options for improving the yield and nutritive value of maize and grain legume residues for ruminants in East African farming systems

“…The earlier harvest material was of much higher nutritive values for ruminants for use as a supplement to N deficient cereal CR for the lactating or fattening animals. As the plant matured from early to final harvest the increase in seed yield, by 42% and 28% in Trial 1 and 2, respectively, was within the range reported by Borreani et al (2006) in field pea as the plant matured from the end of flowering to beginning of ripening and where the contribution of the seed to the DM yield was increased from 0 to 48%. Seeds attain maximum dry weight when they reach physiological maturity (Shaheb et al, 2015;Shaw and Loomis, 1950;Tekrony and Egli, 1997).…”