Vladimir Kuzmich, product manager of LLC «Syngents, Limagrain Ukraine»;

Nikolai Romanenko, Manager of Regional Development  Ltd. «Syngents, Limagrain Ukraine», candidate of agricultural Science

In the Old World the silage was begun to lay from late XIX century, but such crops as corn silage, did not yet exist. It appeared only in 70th of XX century. Although livestock in Europe is constantly decreasing, the areas sown with following maize remain stable. Silage corn is cultivated everywhere in Europe except highlands — above 900 m above sea level. Simple technology of its cultivation and storage — the main components of silage corn success.

In 80th of the last century, the National Institute of agronomic research studies (INRA, France), together with private plant breeding firms started breeding silage corn, given the nutritional value of crops for milk production.

Genetic progress

Genetic progress of silage corn is expressed in regular and stable yields under difficult growing season for plant conditions. Modern hybrids are less susceptible to cultivation technologies because resistant and unpretentious in cultivation. Especially notable genetic progress in changing the energy value of corn silage, mainly due to the evolution of the digestibility of the stems and leaves of plants.

The greatest successes in this area have reached the company, which managed to decipher the code of the genes responsible for the biogenesis of lignin, increase energy through improving food digestibility of cellulose and select special energy-intensive to produce silage hybrids with high forage value. Since 1998 in Europe such criteria as the feed value is taken into account during the state testing fitness of hybrids (entry in the Register). In France, for example, it is expressed in units of dry mass UFL.

Examples of milk production in Europe

The most productive in Europe in terms of dairy cattle is Denmark: the average productivity of a cow is 8500 kg milk per year. Generally it is produced per year 4.8 million tons: 50% sold as drinking milk, 25% goes to the production of cheese, 15% — butter, others — to produce other products (mainly milk powder). Much of the production is exported (2 billion euros in 2008). Farmers keep cows in stalls all year round. Only producers of «organic» milk must graze cows for 150 days a year. Silage from corn is 50-65% of the animals’ diet. In the country 175 thousand hectares under feed corn and 155 thousand hectares under silage corn. Every year farmers have added to the diet of cattle growing corn. This is because it is simpler to use than grass, even with average yields of 13 tons dry matter per hectare.

Choosing silage corn hybrids, farmers pay attention to yield and starch content, and more recently especially on digestion of fiber.

More information can be found in the magazine «Milk and Farm» № 2 (9), April 2012