Effect of maturity and storage duration on plantain (Plantago lanceolata) silage quality

Abstract

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is known as a plant which is able to mitigate N leaching to the soil. Plantain also has high in nutrition and palatable. Unfortunately, nutrition content of plantain if it is conserved as silage is none. To address this question, the effect of regrowth stage and storage duration on ensiling properties of plantain were compared using replicated mini-silos (500 g FW). A factorial completely randomized design with three levels of regrowth stage (4-leaf, 5-leaf and 6-leaf appearance) and 4 levels of storage durations (80, 120, 150, 180 days) and five silo replicates was used. In this study 6-leaf had more fibre and less sugars. Ensiling properties was affected by pre and post-harvest management (P<0.001). Late harvest (6L) had higher pH and lactic acid than early harvest (4L or 5L). The nutritive value of plantain silage was better at early harvest than that of at late harvest (P<0.05). It can be concluded that ensiling plantain at earlier regrowth stage of improved the quality of plantain silage. This study suggests that silage made from the early regrowth stage can be stored until 120 days to produce good quality of silage.