Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2026, 71(3):129-139 | DOI: 10.17221/172/2025-CJAS

Evaluation of changes in dry matter and nutrient content during the growth dynamics of silage maizeOriginal Paper

Andrej Mitrík1, Tomáš Mitrík2, Iveta Maskaľová1
1 Department of Animal Nutrition and Husbandry, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovak Republic
2 FEEDLAB s.r.o., Spišská Nová Ves, Slovak Republic

The aim of this study was to identify and quantify the relationships between the nutrient content and the DM (dry matter) content of various maize hybrids (Zea mays L.) in the dynamics of vegetative maturity and various soil-climatic growing conditions. Over the course of 7 growing seasons (years), a set of 1 972 samples of whole silage maize plants consisting of 206 different hybrids grown in two contrasting regions (lowland and foothill areas) was analysed. The focus was on DM content and the content of key energy nutrients (WSC – water soluble carbohydrates, starch, NDF – neutral detergent fibre) and their interactions. Results show that the transformation of WSC into starch has four key points: (i) it begins at a DM content of 150 g/kg; (ii) it peaks at a DM content of approximately 235 g/kg; (iii) it begins to decrease significantly from a DM content of 300 g/kg; and (iv) it practically stops rapidly after exceeding a DM content of 350 g/kg. In the dynamics of vegetative development of maize plants, the DM content is very closely related to the WSC content (R2 = 0.728) and the starch content (R2 = 0.873). With the gradual increase in vegetative maturity and DM content in maize plants, the transformation of WSC into starch dynamically increases. These characteristics, with small deviations, were also confirmed at different levels of evaluation (all analyses, regions, seasons and individual hybrids). These results show that a DM content of 300 g/kg to 350 g/kg can be considered the optimal harvesting window for maize ensiling and the optimal phase of silage maturity for whole maize plants, because once the DM content exceeds 350 g/kg; the transformation of WSC into starch stops and the drying phase of plants begins.

Keywords: carbohydrate transformation; hybrid; maize; silage maturity; vegetative development

Received: December 9, 2025; Accepted: February 24, 2026; Prepublished online: March 30, 2026; Published: March 31, 2026  Show citation

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Mitrík A, Mitrík T, Maskaľová I. Evaluation of changes in dry matter and nutrient content during the growth dynamics of silage maize. Czech Journal of Animal Science. 2026;71(3):129-139. doi: 10.17221/172/2025-CJAS.
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