Effects of Potassium Fertilizer on Water-Soluble Carbohydrate Content of Timothy (<i>Phleum pratense</i> L.), Silage Fermentation, Nutritive Values, and Nutrient Intake

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of potassium fertilizer (standard (S) and high (H) levels) on water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content of timothy (Phleum pratense L.), silage fermentation, nutritive values, and nutrient intake. The silage treatments were as follows: S level without inoculant (SC), S level plus inoculant (SI), H level without inoculant (HC), and H level plus inoculant (HI). The K content was increased by 14.5% in timothy grown with the H levelcompared with the S level. The WSC contents of the S and H treatments were 75.9 and 66.1 g•kg −1 dry matter (DM), respectively. The silage fermentation quality was low with both SC and HC treatments. The addition of inoculant significantly improved the fermentation quality in SI and HI treatments. The addition increased the DM and organic matter digestibilities of silage. The total digestible nutrient (TDN) content of silage was highest with the HI treatment. The DM, TDN, and digestible energy intakes with the SI and HI treatments were improved compared with the SC and * Corresponding author. P. Wang et al. 1031 HC treatments, respectively. This study demonstrated negligible effects of K fertilizer levels and significant effects of the lactic acid bacteria inoculant on the fermentation quality, nutritive values, and feed intake of silage.

Factors Affecting Sugar Accumulation and Fluxes in Warm- and Cool-Season Forages Grown in a Silvopastoral System

“…Plant K concentration declines with maturity [50] as does WSC [51]. However, the positive relationship between WSC and K in this study were not consistent with published results of Wang et al [52], in which K increased by 14% as WSC in forage decreased by 10 g kg −1 DM. Ash and WSC are both constituents of non-structural fractions within the plant and can explain the positive correlation in this study.…”

Changes in Water Soluble Carbohydrates Content of Timothy (<i>Phleum pretense</i> L.) in Pastures of TMR Centers over 4 Years

“…WSC of timothy strongly affect fermentation in silages because it is a source of nutrients of lactic acid bacteria during storage in silages [1]. The WSC content of timothy changes due to various factors and many of these have been clarified by experimental factorial analysis by Masuko et al [2] [3] [4], Souma et al [5], and Wang et al [6].…”