An assessment of ensiling potential in maize x legume (soybean and cowpea) binary mixtures for yield and feeding quality

Abstract

In this study, maize and legume intercropping were evaluated in terms of silage yield and quality. Maize (Zea mays L. M) was intercropped with soybean (Glycine max L. S) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. C) as binary mixtues (maize + legume), and the seed rates were as follows: 100 + 0%, 75 + 25%, 50 + 50% and 25 + 75%. The harvested plants were chopped with the particle size of < 2, ensiled in 2 kg plastic jars and left fermentation at 25 +/- 2 degrees C for 45 days. In this study, silage yield, dry matter ratio, pH value, crude protein ratio, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, digestibility of dry matter, dry matter intake, total digestibil nutrient relative feed values, lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium contents were determined. All the M + S mixtures showed high performance in terms of Flieg score and lactic acid content. The highest relative feed quality value was determined in the sole cowpea (156.4) and 25M + 75S% (148.5) mixture. As a result, intercropping maize with legumes resulted in superior silage quality without a reduction in yield.