Effects of different additives on the some chemical parameters and in vitro digestibility of leucaena leucocephala silage.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different additives on some physical and chemical properties, feed value, and in vitro digestibility of Leucaena leucocephala. The experiment included one control and three treatment groups. The treatment groups were subjected to 5% molasses, 5% barley, and 0.5% formic acid, respectively. The study was carried out with 8 replicates per group. The plant was hand-harvested in June 2023 from the Muratpaşa district of Antalya province and transported to the laboratory on the same day. The plant was chopped into 2.5–5 cm pieces, treated with the respective additives, and vacuum-packed in plastic bags (200 g/bag). After the silage maturation period (60 days), the bags were opened, and the physical properties, ammonia nitrogen, and pH levels, nutrient composition, feed value, in vitro crude protein degradability (IVCPD), and in vitro digestibility were determined. Silage acids and lactic acid levels were also measured. The German Agricultural Society (DLG) scores of all groups (17.63 and above) indicated that the silages were classified as top quality. The effects of treatments on non-structural nutrients were found to be insignificant, except for the crude ash content in the 5% barley-added group. The addition of 5% molasses to Leucaena silage significantly reduced the crude fiber (CF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents and significantly increased the Flieg score. Regarding other feed value parameters, no significant differences were observed between the treatment groups, except for relative feed value (RFV) and dry matter intake (DMI). The effects of treatments on the metabolizable energy (ME) value of Leucaena silage (calculated from CF and ADF values) were found to be insignificant. In vitro true dry matter digestibility (IVTDMD) and in vitro true organic matter digestibility (IVTOMD) were significantly increased with the addition of 5% molasses to Leucaena silage. No differences were observed among the treatment groups in terms of IVCPD. In conclusion, the additives used in this study did not adversely affect silage quality. However, optimum silage quality was achieved with the addition of 5% molasses.