Determination of feed value of tomato greenhouse wastes as roughage source silage

The present study was conducted to investigate the evaluation of tomato harvest residues (stems, twigs and leaves) consumed as vegetables in the form of silage. The material of the study was green tomato parts after harvesting in a greenhouse in Bekirli Village of Karaisalı district in Adana province. In the study, a total of four different treatment groups were formed with four replicates in each treatment group: Control (positive) group (15.920 g chopped tomato harvest residue and 80 g water), 2% molasses (15.600 g harvest residue, 320 g molasses, 80 g water), 2% barley (15.600 g harvest residue, 320 g molasses, 80 g water), 1% molasses + 1% barley (15.600 g harvest residue, 160 g molasses, 160 g barley, 80 g water). Tomato harvest residues were cut into 2-3 cm pieces to be suited for silage. The chopped greens were packed airtight in special hard plastic containers with a capacity of two liters in vacuumed nylon bags and the lids were sealed. The containers were opened after a 48-day fermentation period in a storage (dry-dark) room that was not exposed to moisture or direct sunlight. The physical properties (color, odor and texture), dry matter, crude protein, crude oil, crude fiber, ADF, NDF, ADL, pH and Fleig score of the silage samples were evaluated. At the end of the study, it was found that all nutrients except dry matter, crude protein, crude ash and pH were significantly affected by treatments (P<0.001). The enrichment of tomato harvest residues with 2% molasses addition resulted in a significant increase especially in protein content compared to the other treatment groups. Keywords: Tomato, Harwest Residues, Silage, Roughage, Ruminant Feeding