THE EFFECT OF CROP CHARACTERISTICS AND ENSILING METHODOLOGY ON GRASS-SILAGE EFFLUENT PRODUCTION

Experimental data on the effects of crop characteristics (d.m. content, species, fertilizer input) and ensiling methodology (crop treatment, consolidation, additives) on effluent production are reviewed. Most of the data available on effluent production relates to grass crops ensiled in horizontal clamp soils or in laboratory silos. This review is therefore largely restricted to grass silage ensiled under these conditions. Experimental work shows an imprecise relationship between crop d.m. content and effluent production. Predictive equations for effluent production based solely on crop d.m. content are, therefore, of little value for predicting effluent production under any particular set of crop, climate and ensiling conditions. Effluent production is clearly influenced by a number of factors additional to crop d.m., notably fertilizer input, additive use and species or variety used. The evidence regarding the effects of consolidation and contradictory particularly large-scale experiments. Effluent production from film-wrapped baled silage can equal that of clamp silage from the same crop. The development of more precise models and predictive equations requires further information, particularly on mechanisms of effluent release from plant tissues and the Bow of effluent through the silo mass. crop between laboratory and