Effect of Ensiling on Nutritional Properties of Sericea Lespedeza Alone or in Mixtures with Alfalfa

In this investigation, fresh sericea lespedeza (SL; Lespedeza cuneata) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were cut in the field, frozen, chopped and mixed into ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100, respectively, with each treatment combination packed into 12 mini-silos and sealed to be air-tight. Three mini-silos per treatment were opened after 1, 7, 21 and 84 d of ensiling and analyzed for pH, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL), unbound and bound condensed tannins (CT), nitrogen (N), nitrate N (NO₃-N), and ammonia N (NH₄₊N) content. All of the forage combinations ensiled well, with a rapid drop in pH (below 5.0 by Day 7). Fiber concentrations (NDF, ADF, ADL) were greater in 75% and 100% SL silages than in 0%, 25% and 50% SL samples by Day 84 of the study, possibly due to interference of CT in the detergent analysis system. Concentrations of N, NO₃-N and NH₄₊N were decreased in silages as percentage SL in the mixture increased, while unbound, bound and total CT increased as percentage SL increased. In this study, there was reduced proteolysis during ensiling of combinations of SL and alfalfa, as indicated by reduced NO₃-N and NH₄₊N production as percentage SL in the silage mixtures increased.