Fermentation Quality and Additives: A Case of Rice Straw Silage

Table 3

Physical properties of silage, characteristics, and interpretations.

Silage characteristics		Interpretation	Reference
Physical appearance and texture	Rotten silage or presence of mould	Indication of air leakage which results in DM loss and in turn decline in silage quality	[19]
	Very wet with discharge seeping from stack	The ensiling is low in DM; this results in poor fermentation which leads to significant losses in silage quantity and quality	[20]
	Very dry and even breakable	The ensiling is too high in DM content; this results from overheating during storage and leads to protein degradation and reduction in metabolizable energy	[21]
Colour	Light amber brown	This is due to late harvesting or low DM content; the bottom layer of wet silage can be yellowish with fruity smell	[22]
	Brown/dark brown	This occurs as a result of overheating or inadequate compaction or delayed sealing or aerobic spoilage which leads to low digestibility and protein degradation
Aroma	Alcoholic, fruity, or sweet smell	The silage product is unstable during feedout often as a result of yeast fermentation resulting in high level of ethanol	[22]
	Rotten aroma	The silage is dominated by Clostridia bacteria which increase the level of butyric acid resulting from protein degradation