title: Effect of harvest date on Arundo donax L. (giant reed) composition, ensilage performance, and enzymatic digestibility.
abstract: Composition and ensilage performance of giant reed harvested in August, October, November, and December, were evaluated and compared. Generally, late-harvested giant reed had higher dry matter content, lower nitrogen content, and higher water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) content than early-harvested giant reed. During 90days of ensilage, giant reed harvested in October, November, and December showed dry matter losses of about 1%, while giant reed harvested in August showed a higher dry matter loss of about 8%. During the ensilage process, more lactic acid was produced in late-harvested giant reed than in early-harvested giant reed. Late-harvested giant reed had a higher lignin content and lower enzymatic digestibility than early-harvested giant reed. However, enzymatic digestibility of all the giant reed biomass was improved by the 90-day ensilage process, reaching levels of 43-46%. In summary, ensilage could be used for storing giant reed biomass harvested at different times and for improving its digestibility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA; Key Laboratory of Clean Utilization Technology for Renewable Energy in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, 100083 Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA.
authors.forename: Xumeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA. Electronic address: li.851@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Yebo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D006109:Poaceae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012820:Silage; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D008031:Lignin; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Energy crops; Ensilage; Enzymatic digestibility; Giant reed; Harvest time