Description:
AbstractTwo silages were made from primary growth perennial ryegrass and ensiled after the application of either formic acid or an enzyme mixture of cellulase and hemicellulase. Silage analysis showed both silages to be well preserved with low pH of 3·70 and 3·62 for the formic and enzyme treatments respectively. Formic acid‐treated silage had a higher total amino acid concentration than enzyme‐treated silage. The silages were offered to growing steers either as the sole diet or supplemented with rapeseed meal at 60 g or 120 g fresh weight kg−1 silage DM offered, in a 6 × 6 Latin square arrangement.Non‐ammonia nitrogen and microbial nitrogen flows at the duodenum (g d−1) were significantly (P < 0·05) increased by supplementation of enzyme‐treated silage compared with formic acid‐treated silage (enzyme, 83·6, 58·7; enzyme + 60 g, 101·7, 75·3; enzyme + 120 g, 112·5, 80·7; formic, 91·9, 63·7; formic + 60g, 88·3, 67·9; formic + 120 g, 95·5, 67·1) respectively. Efficiencies of microbial protein synthesis were increased for supplemented enzyme‐treated silage diets and values were reduced for supplemented formic acid‐treated silage diets compared with the silage only diets (enzyme, 27·9; enzyme + 60 37·7; enzyme + 120 g, 38·6; formic, 33·7; formic + 60g, 31·2; formic + 120 g, 28·8). Total amino acid flow at the duodenum increased with supplementation of both silages; however, microbial amino acid flow increased significantly (P < 0·05) with supplementation of enzyme‐treated silage compared with formic acid‐treated silage diets. Significantly greater amounts of cystine, methionine, alanine, valine and aspartic acid entered the small intestines of animals receiving supplemented enzyme silages compared with supplemented formic acid silages.