Silage processing is to maximize the preservation of original nutrients available in forage crop or agro-industrial by-products for animal feeding at a later date. Improved grasses, fodder crops and agro-industrial by-products such as Napier, Guinea, Humidicola, MARDI Digit, Setaria, maize, sorghum, forage legumes, oil palm fronds, rice straw, and herbal processing by-products are suitable for silage making. Basically, silage fermentation occurs naturally under anaerobic conditions due to the presence of native bacteria on plants. With the advent of biotechnology, silage inoculants or silage additives have been introduced to improve the nutrient and energy recovery in silage, often with subsequent improvements in animal performance. The microbial inoculant GENKiMO-1 produced has the potential to be utilized as fermentation stimulants for better quality silage production with improved nutritional value such as crude protein content. The inoculant also improves the color and aroma of the rice straw silage and reduces the period of fermentation required in silage production.

1.  Synergycents Sdn. Bhd. (Corn stover silage)

Production = 600 MT/month

1.  In Malaysia, there are plenty of easily available feed resources that can be made into good silage for animal feed. Selection of these materials is dependent on their availability, transportation facilities and labour force requirement. Silages have great potential to be utilized as animal feed. The utilization of rice straw for ruminant feeding could solve the problem of open burning of the rice straw in paddy fields, thus avoiding environmental pollution. The correct use of fermentation techniques will ensure the production of good quality silage which can be preserved or kept for longer periods of time.
Kedah-Kelantan crossbred cattle fed with herbal processing by-products of serai wangi silage achieved an average daily gain of 800 g.

Centre : BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT UNIT
Tel : 03-89435086
Fax : 03-89435840
Email : achan@mardi.gov.my

1. RAMLI BIN MOHD. NOOR (LIVESTOCK STRATEGIC RESEARCH CENTRE)
2. AMINAH BTE ABDULLAH (STATION MANAGEMENT CENTRE)
3. GHAZALI BIN HUSSIN (LIVESTOCK STRATEGIC RESEARCH CENTRE)
4. SHAMSUDIN BIN ABU BAKAR (TECHNOLOGY PROMOTION & DEVELOPMENT CENTRE)