Influence of Genotype and Ensiling of Corn Grain on in Situ Degradation of Starch in the Rumen

Abstract

This trial was conducted to determine the influence of genotype and ensiling of corn grain on the rate and extent of ruminal starch degradation. Two cultivars of corn that differed in texture of the endosperm, dent (Zea mays ssp. indentata) or flint (Zea mays ssp. indentura) were harvested at 30% whole-plant dry matter (DM). After separation from stover and cob, the kernels were coarsely chopped and ensiled or not ensiled. Grains were oven-dried at 40°C and either ground through a 3-mm sieve or left unground. Ruminal DM and starch degradabilities were determined using the in situ technique. The proportion of starch lost through the pores of the bag without degradation was also determined. Mean ruminal DM and starch degradabilities were higher for ground grains than for chopped grains, which could be related to the proportion of DM and starch lost through the pores of the bag. For unensiled, chopped grain, ruminal starch degradability was higher for dent corn than for flint corn (72.3% vs. 61.6%). The ensiling process increased ruminal starch degradability, averaging 5.8 percentage units. The difference in ruminal starch degradability between dent corn and flint corn remained constant whether the corn was unensiled or ensiled (10.7 vs. 11.6 percentage units).