COMPARISON OF SILAGES FROM DENSELY SEEDED AND CONVENTIONALLY SEEDED CORN FOR BEEF STEERS

Corn for silage was planted at two seeding rates (60 000 and 200 000 kernels ha−1) in three consecutive years and evaluated by determining yields, digestibility by sheep and performance of growing-fattening beef cattle fed the ensiled crops. Plant populations at harvest ranged over years from 53 000 to 63 000 plants ha−1 for conventional seeding and from 94 000 to 151 000 plants ha−1 for the dense seeding rate. Dense seeding increased whole-plant dry matter yield each year. Only in 1 year (1979) did dense seeding reduce the yield of dry matter in the whole ear or grain (P < 0.01). In the same crop year (1979) dense seeding reduced the dry matter and crude protein contents of the silage (P < 0.01) and the digestibilities by sheep of the dry matter and nitrogen were lower (P < 0.01) than for the conventionally seeded crop. In 2 years (1978 and 1979), when the silages were fed ad libitum with only a protein-mineral-vitamin supplement, the daily silage dry matter intake by beef cattle was lower (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) and in 1979 the average daily gain (1.06 vs. 1.14 kg d−1) was lower (P < 0.01) with silage from the dense seeding. There were no significant differences in beef performance parameters (silage dry matter intake, daily gain, and efficiency of silage conversion to daily gain) in the third year when the silages were fed with ground barley. Dense seeding of corn for silage resulted in more beef production per hectare and provides a means of reducing productivity loss due to birds feeding on the ripening ears of corn. Key words: Corn, silage, beef, dense seeding, seeding rate