Effect of adding different levels of forage corn to improve fermentation quality and aerobic stability of the aerial part of Jerusalem artichoke )Helianthus tuberosus L.) silage

The present research was conducted to investigate the effect of adding different levels of forage corn on the improvement of fermentation properties and aerobic stability of the aerial part of Jerusalem artichoke silage. To prepare silages, this plant was ensiled with ratios of 0, 25, 50 and 75% of forage corn in laboratory silos with four replicates. The lowest pH (3.85) and the highest concentration of lactic acid (48.5 g/ kg DM) were observed in silages containing 75% and then in silages containing 50% of forage corn. In silages containing 50% and 75% forage corn, a decrease in the concentration of butyric acid and ammonia nitrogen was associated with an increase in the population of lactic acid bacteria and a decrease in the population of mold and yeast. The highest ratio of lactic acid to acetic acid (2.2) was observed in silages containing 75% of forage corn. Silages containing 50 and 75% of forage corn had the highest crude protein and soluble carbohydrates. The highest aerobic stability in silages containing 50% of forage corn (584 h) was associated with no growth of mold in these silages. The results of the present research showed that the use of 50% forage corn during the preparation of aerial part silage of Jerusalem artichoke improved fermentation. Also, mixing these two forages with different levels of used forage corn improved the aerobic stability of silages and the highest aerobic stability was observed in the silage resulting from a 50:50 mixture of these two forages.