Corn for silage: harvesting, cultivation technology, varieties and yields

Corn for silage is grown using a special technology. To grow a quality product, you need to follow all the methods of agricultural technology and use modern technology for the manufacture of silage. It is a valuable plant food for domestic herbivores. Silage can be combined (make it from cobs) and regular (the whole green part of the plant is used).

Corn for silage cultivation features

To obtain the most productive mass, corn silage is made following certain technological methods. But before you start making it, you need to get acquainted with the rules for growing a crop.

Cultivation of corn for silage is different from grain technology. The similarity is that the same grain varieties of corn are selected for silage and the same sowing dates are observed.

Before growing corn for silage, you need to know its biological characteristics. Corn is an annual heat-loving cereal crop with a well-developed stem, leaves and roots. At first, the roots grow in the upper, heated layers of the soil, gradually deepening by 1-2 meters.

The stem is 7 cm thick, one plant can have up to 25 leaves. The stem is divided into nodes, the number of which does not increase with the growth of the plant. It can grow up to 5 meters in height by lengthening the space between the nodes. On the upper part there is a male inflorescence - panicle. Stepchildren are formed at the lower nodes.If corn is grown for grain, then they should be removed.

Corn seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of +10 degrees. The warmer it gets outside, the more actively the culture grows. At a temperature of +15 degrees, the first shoots appear after 8 days. The culture withstands frosts down to -3 degrees, lack of moisture and heat, but only during the germination period. If such unfavorable factors appeared during flowering, the yield may be significantly reduced.

It is very important to determine the correct timing of harvesting corn silage, maintaining the ratio of dry matter content and maturation stage. The dry matter content is a reliable criterion for determining the quality of corn silage. Harvesting is best started when the solids content is 28-30%.

Crop rotation

With good care, the yield of silage corn from 1 hectare can be 50-60 tons.If corn is grown for feed, then for the rapid development of green mass, it is necessary to water the crop as often as possible. When using special irrigation systems, the yield can be increased up to 80-100 tons per 1 ha.

Ensiled corn is used as feed for cattle, rabbits, birds because of its high nutritional value. Useful properties of the product include:

• normalizes the work of the digestive organs in animals;
• increased lean body mass;
• improving blood counts of animals;
• the number of milk yields of cows is increasing;
• contains a lot of vitamins, amino acids, organic fats.

To obtain a high-quality and rich harvest, you also need to observe crop rotation. It is advisable to plant after cereals or legumes, perennial grasses.The best predecessors are vegetables such as potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans. Every 3-4 years it is recommended to change the planting site of the crop.

Soil

Chernozem, loamy, sandy and sandy soil, with normal acidity, is best suited for sowing corn for silage. For the cultivation of corn, you need to carefully prepare the soil.

If the soil is prone to waterlogging and high acidity, then it will not work to cultivate a crop. Acidic soils are recommended to be limed 1-2 years before sowing.

Corn needs good aeration, especially during the germination stage. The embryos absorb a lot of oxygen, and there will be a good harvest only when there is about 20% oxygen in the soil air.

Since autumn, the site is dug up to a depth of 25-30 cm. When weeds appear or after rains, harrowing is carried out. At the same time, organic fertilizers, such as manure, can be applied. In spring, harrowing is carried out to a depth of 5 cm, after which the soil is cultivated to a depth of 8 cm.

The best predecessors for corn for silage are winter and spring crops, buckwheat, potatoes, legumes. It is not recommended to plant after beets, millet and sunflowers, as these crops lead to a deficiency of trace elements in the soil and a lack of moisture.

Corn varieties and hybrids

You don't need to wait until the grain is fully mature to grow corn for silage. Therefore, it is better to choose late-ripening varieties, which, upon reaching milky-wax ripeness, accumulate a lot of nutrients. To increase the yield, you can sow early-ripening and mid-ripening varieties mixed together with late-ripening varieties.

The most popular varieties of corn grown for silage include: Sterling, Partizanka, Osetinskaya, Dnepropetrovsk, Adevey, Dubrava, Kalina. All of these varieties are highly digestible by animals, develop quickly and produce a rich harvest.

In order for the seeds of the selected variety to sprout well and the plant to have good immunity, they must be disinfected. For this purpose, seeds are treated with manganese.

Corn straw (stems and leaves after picking the cobs) of any variety is best ensiled at about 45% moisture. In this state, they soften, after which they are crushed into small pieces (1 cm). You can dry the straw in special drying units or spread it in a thin layer on flat areas. Use dry straw in granulated or briquetted form.

Sowing dates

Fields begin to be sown only after the soil warms up to +12 degrees to a depth of 8 cm. If the soil is heavy, clay, then the seeding depth should be about 4 cm. The dates fall approximately at the beginning of May.

After sowing, it is imperative to carry out harrowing. The second harrowing is carried out after 4-5 pairs of leaves unfold on the plant. More information about the technology of growing corn for silage can be found in the table.

Cultivation depth 15 cm, undermining weeds, cultivation carried out to a depth of 5 cmSowingC 5- May 10Seed preparationPre-emergence harrowingOne week after seedingTop soil looseningEmergency harrowingB 20 -th of May HarvestingMid-AugustCutting and chopping the plant

Types of work	Timings	Presenting requirements
Autumn plowing	Late August to early October	Layers the land is turned over, plant residues are removed from the site Loosening depth 4 cm
Second harrowing and cultivation	April
	As it grows	Processing is carried out with drugs that are diluted according to the instructions

To get a big harvest of cobs and prevent the development of problems, you need to follow the basic rules of cultivating a crop. Sowing density, crop rotation, soil composition and proper soil preparation, sowing and harvesting dates, methods of controlling weeds, pests and diseases are important.

Maize seeding density for silage

The density of corn depends on the ripeness group, variety and soil moisture. The seeding rate of corn for silage is considered to be planting density of 55-100 kg per hectare. The density of standing plants in the garden for green mass in the garden is 6-8 pieces per meter of land. In these cases, the cobs are almost never tied, only green mass is collected for food. Most of the plants are in the shade, more moisture is retained in the soil - these are all the conditions necessary for growing a plant for food.

Early varieties of corn can be planted more densely than late varieties. The higher the stem of the plant stretches, the fewer plants should be sown per 1 sq. m. An increase in the density of maize for silage by at least 10% leads to an average yield.

When sowing seeds in the fields, the distance between the rows is 65-70 cm.

Fertilizers

To get a good harvest of herbivore corn, you need to fertilize on time. Corn responds equally well to both mineral and organic fertilizers.

In maize for animal silage, emphasis is placed on the development of green mass, so nitrogen is important in the early stages of maize development. In case of its deficiency, the growth and development of the plant slows down. Calculate approximately 25 kg of nitrogen fertilizer per hectare. Fertilize again after 3-4 weeks.

With a lack of potassium, the leaves turn dark green, the growth of the green and root parts of the plant slows down, then the leaves begin to curl, turn yellow and dry out.

Throughout the growing season, corn needs phosphorus. Especially the culture needs this trace element after emergence, as well as in the phase of flowering and grain formation. With its deficiency, the formation of grains in the cob slows down, the leaves turn dark green with red-violet veins and gradually die off.

Phosphorus and potash fertilizers are recommended to be applied in autumn. Bedless manure is especially useful for corn for silage. Nitrogen fertilizers are useful before sowing between rows.

Herbicides

Weeds cause a decrease in yield, the spread of pests and various diseases. Therefore, in addition to observing agrotechnical practices, the cultivation of corn is not complete without timely weed control. The use of herbicides is considered to be an effective method.

Before germination, herbicides such as Avrorex, Erodikan, Reglon are applied to the soil (consumption rate is about 8-10 l/ha). The surface of the earth can be treated with preparations such as Harnes, Roundup (expenditure rate 3 l / ha).

If pre-emergence herbicides have not shown their effectiveness, use post-emergence preparations: Ballerina, Milady, Adengo, Dialen, Turbin, Dezormon, Luvaram (consumption rate 2 l / ha). Cowboy 200 g/ha can be used.

Silage harvesting starts in August. When sowing 50 thousand seeds per hectare, about 55 centners of feed units per hectare and about 220 centners of green mass are obtained.

Diseases and pests

When diseases or pests are found on plants, it is necessary to deal with the problem in a timely manner. This will prevent the mass spread of infection, which will save most of the crop.

Among the pests most often attacked:

• wireworm (the larvae penetrate the stems, cobs and after a couple of weeks the grains turn black);
• meadow moth (larvae feed on young leaves of the plant);
• deciduous scoop (insects gnaw not only the entire green part of the plant, but also grains);
• oat swedish fly (insects eat young seedlings).

Of the diseases, powdery mildew, rust, and blister smut most often affect. Corn leaves turn pale, black dots and stripes may appear, dry out, curl.

It is very important to properly treat the seeds before planting and carry out preventive treatments with insecticides. You can use drugs such as Force, Karate, Vantex.

To reduce the risk of disease and pest infestation, it is necessary to follow the technology of growing corn for silage. Be sure to follow the crop rotation, work the soil deeply in the fall, treat the seeds, sow the seeds on time, and harvest.

Harvesting maize for silage

There are 4 stages of grain development in corn: grain formation (lasts two weeks from the start of fertilization), milk and milk-wax (these two stages last about 10-12 days), wax (about 15 days) and full maturity .

Corn harvesting for silage starts from the moment of milk-wax maturity of the grain. When pressing on the grain, a light liquid and a thick mass are released. At this stage, grains contain an average of 46% moisture, 34% in leaves, and 80% in stems. Harvesting continues until the wax phase is reached.

Mowing is carried out by special agricultural equipment (forage harvester) to a height of 12-15 cm. By observing the terms and rules of harvesting, you can get he althy and high-quality pet food.

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