Storage length interacts with maturity to affect nutrient availability in unprocessed flint corn silage

ABSTRACT Our objective was to determine the effects of maturity and storage length on the fermentation pattern, ruminal disappearance of nutrients, and recovery of digestible nutrients in flint corn (Zea mays L.) silage harvested with a pull-type machine without a kernel processor. Corn plants were harvested at 300 g kg−1 DM (low dry matter, LDM) or 400 g kg−1 DM (high dry matter, HDM) and stored for 0, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 d in laboratory silos. Corn harvested at HDM had a higher proportion of long particles (>19 mm), more intact kernels, and lower kernel processing score. There was an interaction between maturity and storage length for several fermentation end-products, DM recovery, ruminal disappearance of nutrients, and recovery of digestible DM. Overall, the concentrations of fermentation end-products were higher in LDM than in HDM silage. The DM recovery decreased over time, mainly for LDM silage. Ruminal disappearance of nutrients (starch, CP, and DM) increased with storage length, with greater values for LDM silage at shorter storage, but closer values among LDM and HDM at longer storage periods. The recovery of digestible DM (DM recovery × ruminal disappearance) slightly increased in LDM silage up to 26 d of fermentation, but it markedly increased in HDM silage, mainly up to 60 d of storage. Storing for longer periods is a strategy to partially offset the negative impact of maturity on the digestibility of flint corn silage harvested with pull-type machines without kernel processor.