DOC-trial: different farming systems and silage quality
Wyss, U.
Between 1996 and 1998, the influence of a bio-dynamic, a bio-organic and a conventional farming system on grass silage quality was investigated. All treatments were sown with the same grass-clover-mixture at the same place and plots were fertilized differently depending on the farming system. Two different levels of fertilisation were applied per system. The plots were cut five times a year at the same time. For the ensiling trials, forage was pre-wilted to an average DM-content of 27% and ensiled in laboratory silos. During the three years, the botanical composition of the leys has changed. Perennial ryegrass and white clover were the main plants in the first year when the cocksfoot dominated in the third year. Its proportion was influenced by the amount of N-fertilizer. The different fertilizer levels of the farming systems influenced the botanical composition and the nutrient contents of the grass as well as the fermentation quality. In the bio-organic and in the conventional system, variants with higher fertilizer level showed a worse fermentation quality than those with lower level. On the other hand, the level of fertilisation did not influence the silage quality in the bio-dynamic system. The differences concerning the fermentation quality were higher between the three years and the different growths than between the different farming systems.