All About Silage Making

In India due to climatic factors, acute scarcity of grain and feeds occurs mainly in two periods namely around May- June, and November-December. Therefore storage and preservation of surplus fodder are always desirable in scientific farming to ensure supply of good quality fodder all around the year. In this Way silage preparation plays an important role.

General introduction about silage:

Silage is name that is given to fodder crops that are preserved in succulent condition in silos by partial or anaerobic fermentation process. During this process there will be production of some acids that make the plant nutrient material preserved. The duration of this process is 2-3 Months and there by the silage will remain unchanged for another 20 months.

Crops that are suitable for preparing silage:

• Fodder maize,

• Berseem,

• Lucern,

• Cowpea,

• Peas,

• Beans,

• Napier grass

Steps involved in silage making:

• First the crop should be harvested at the right and proper succulent stage.

• Then they are chopped as fine as possible.

• Then the fodder should be uniformly spread in thin layer and compacted perfectly into the silos.

• The silos are either pits or cement towers.

• The silo should be closed at the top by putting a 12 inch thick layer of earth followed by mud plastering.

• Filling should be completed within a short day.

• The properly filled sillage will be ready for use about 90 days

Preservatives are also added in it, some of the preservatives are Sodium metabisulphite, Molasses, Dilluted H2So4, HCL, So2, phosphoric acid.

Quality of good silage:

Good silage is yellowish brown in colour with pleasant smell and is wasily relished by cattle.

Authors -

Sakthivel.

IV Year, B.sc., (Agriculture).

S.Balamurugan

Assistant Professor (Department of Entomology),

Dr.P.Guna, Ph. D

Assistant Professor (Department of Agricultural extension),

PRIST DEEMED TO BE  UNIVERSITY,

Vallam, Thanjavur.