Effects of storage period on the composition of whole crop wheat and corn silages

The objective of the current work was to evaluate silage quality throughout the storage period. Silages of wheat from flowering and milk stages and of corn were prepared in 1.5 L anaerobic jars. The silages were sampled from one week until one year after ensiling. Lactic acid concentration peaked one to three months after ensiling while that of acetic acid increased constantly; the aerobic stability of the silages improved with time. Dry matter losses reached maximal levels between 3 and 6 months of storage; digestibility of DM and NDF tended to decrease with time. The results indicate that when using silages shortly after ensiling, the pH values might still not be low enough and aerobic stability is poor. Prolonged storage might result in decrease in DM and NDF digestibility values.