Effect of maize crop maturity on silage chemical composition and digestibility (in vivo, in situ and in vitro)

Abstract The effect of maize crop (Suco ® , Novartis) maturity: silking (dry matter (DM) content=0.20), milk (M; 0.26 DM content) and half milk line ((1/2)ML; 0.32 DM content), on whole plant silage chemical composition and digestibility, measured in vivo, in situ and in vitro, was evaluated. The in vivo digestibility (DM and neutral detergent fibre, NDF) was measured in nine lambs fed at maintenance (three replicated 3×3 Latin squares). The in situ digestibility (48 h incubation in the rumen of a fistulated cow) and the in vitro digestibility (two-stage procedure) were measured in 10 samples of each silage. Crop maturity increased ( P P P