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Maize Silage for Dairy Feed

Whole-plant maize silage is reshaping fodder security and dairy productivity across north-west India. ICAR-IIMR's silage initiative covering ~400 acres of Punjab-Haryana demonstrations delivered a 15% increase in fodder yield over existing farmer practice and 10-20% improvement in milk yield from high-energy cob-inclusive silage.

Key parameters

  • Harvest Stage: milky to dough grain (25-30 days after flowering)
  • Fodder Yield Gain: +15% over farmer practice
  • Milk Yield Gain: +10-20% from cob-inclusive silage
  • Leading Hybrids: PMH 10 and DKC 9108 for fodder/silage

Implementation and adoption

Harvest is at milky-dough stage (25-30 days after flowering); fodder-type hybrids PMH 10 and DKC 9108 record best fermentation. Maize fodder is more digestible than other non-leguminous forages and is free of toxic principles.

See also: Maize Crop Overview, Rabi Yaasangi Maize, Fall Armyworm Maize, Hybrid Maize Variety Pioneer 3302, Hybrid Maize Variety Bayer Dekalb, Hybrid Maize Variety Syngenta Nk.

References

  1. Maize Silage Revolution - IIMR via ICAR. https://www.icar.org.in/en/maize-silage-revolution-iimrs-breakthrough-initiative-transforms-livestock-feeding-north-west-india
  2. Silage Making for Dairy Sector - ATARI. https://atariz1.icar.gov.in/pdf/Silage%20Making.pdf