Silage characteristics and nutritive value of TMR silage based on the orange pulp with different levels of wheat straw and additives

Fresh orange pulp (FCP) mixed with wheat straw (WS) 79:20 plus 0.7% urea, 0.1% diammonium sulfate (DAMS) and 0.2% mineral-vitamin supplement (MVS) as a basal treatment (T1). Then WS reduced to 15%+5% sugar beet pulp (SBP) T2, WS15%+5% corn ground (CG) T3, WS15%+ 5% corn bran (CB) T4, and WS15%+ 5%rice bran (RB) T5. In T6 WS reduced to 10% and completed with SBP, CG, CB and RB in amounts of 4:2:2:2 percent respectively. All mixtures were ensiled in small scale plastic bag silos with four replicates. All silos were opened four months’ post ensiling and sampled for chemical analyses, in vitro gas test and digestibility. Dry matter content ranged 28.43 to 31.01 percent and pH 3.95 to 4.07 that were significantly different between the treatments (p<.05). Crude protein ranged 12.16 to 15.59 percent that was the lowest in T1 but the highest in T6 (p<.05). Ammonia-N ranged 6.32 to 10.63 percent of total nitrogen that was different between the treatments (p<.05). Reducing of WS and including of concentrate feeds in the treatments reduced NDF from 59.48 to 46.96 percent (p<.05) but increased gas production, organic matter digestibility (OMD) and metabolisable energy (ME) with highest values in T6. It is concluded that by formulating a mixture of FOP, WS, SBP, CG, CB, RB, Urea, DAMS and VMS in ratio of 79:10:4:2:2:2:0.7:0.1:0.2 may prepared a TMR silage with acceptable silage characteristics. However, more research needs to determine the feeding values through in vivo and feeding trials.