Determination of Silage Quality of Mixtures of Berseem Clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.) and Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) under Bilecik Conditions

Abstract

This study was conducted in 2022 with the aim of determining the appropriate mixture ratio of berseem clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) in Bilecik conditions. The study was arranged according to a randomized complete block design with three replications. After the plants harvested in the experiment were chopped in size of 2 cm in size, they were filled into vacuum bags to make silage, taking into account the mixing ratios. The prepared silages were stored at 25±2 °C. In the research, six treatments were tested, including 100% berseem clover, 80% berseem clover + 20% annual ryegrass, 60% berseem clover + 40% annual ryegrass, 40% berseem clover + 60% annual ryegrass, 20% berseem clover + 80% annual ryegrass, and 100% annual ryegrass. According to the study, silage yield ranged from 1514 to 2033 kg da^-1, protein yield ranged from 241.7 to 358.5 kg da^-1, relative feed value ranged from 96.91 to 146.87, dry matter content ranged from 31.4 to 36.5%, Flieg score ranged from 83.89 to 93.32, pH values ranged from 4.31 to 4.66. As a result of the study, considering all the characteristics, it was determined that mixing 40% annual ryegrass with berseem clover instead of pure silage gave better results in terms of silage efficiency and quality.