CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 53Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive PhysiologyAgricultural Engineering and MechanizationMycotoxins in Agriculture and Food

Ensiling in 2050: Some challenges and opportunities

Wilkinson, John Michael, Muck, Richard E.·2019·Grass and Forage Science
DOI 10.1111/gfs.12418
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Challenges to ensiling are coming from a wide spectrum. Faster harvest rates are making it more difficult to achieve target silage densities. Larger harvest equipment is increasing soil compaction and rural road issues. Older silos are too small and are overfilled, creating safety issues, or temporary piles are placed on bare ground permitting soil contamination. Mycotoxins and other pathogens in silages are still a problem. Global warming may affect the forage crops grown and crop characteristics as well as rates of silage fermentation and aerobic deterioration. Silage as an input to bio‐refineries has an unclear future. Silage analysis is challenged by sampling and knowing what components truly predict nutritional value. The future holds many opportunities for both ensiling and silage research. Robotic harvesting will release more labour for silo packing, and there are opportunities to develop tools to estimate silage density during filling. Total mixed ration silages should allow more by‐products in rations. The development of novel silage additives to improve silage hygiene or increase nutrient availability appears promising. Predicting the onset of aerobic deterioration with quick tests for lactate‐assimilating yeasts or silage temperatures seems possible. Metabolomics and metabonomics, in addition to the microbiome tools in development, put us at the cusp of being able to see which microorganisms are active in the silo and rumen and what compounds of significance they are producing. This could lead to many advances in silage quality including reduced microbial toxins, better hygiene and improved utilization by livestock.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/gfs.12418

Cites

49 of 49 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Additives, particularly inoculants containing lactic acid bacteria like Lactobacillus buchneri, are crucial for enhancing fermentation, controlling undesirable microbial activity, and improving overall preservation and nutritive value of silage.

    “Additives, particularly inoculants containing lactic acid bacteria like Lactobacillus buchneri, are crucial for enhancing fermentation, controlling undesirable microbial activity, and improving the overall preservation and nutritive value of the silage [4,9].”

    From Influence of Ensiling Timing and Inoculation on Whole Plant Maize Silage Fermentation and Aerobic Stability (Preliminary Research) (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Air exposure during ensiling can delay fermentation by allowing undesired aerobic microbes to metabolize forage components, which slows growth of lactic acid bacteria, increases pH, and fosters growth of undesirable organisms such as yeasts and molds.

    “Air exposure during the ensiling process can delay fermentation by allowing undesired aerobic microbes to metabolize forage components, which slows down the growth of lactic acid bacteria, increases pH levels, and fosters the growth of undesirable organisms such as yeasts and molds.”

    From Influence of Ensiling Timing and Inoculation on Whole Plant Maize Silage Fermentation and Aerobic Stability (Preliminary Research) (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Wilkinson, J. M., & Muck, R. E.
Affiliations
  • University of Nottingham (GB)
  • Agricultural Research Service (US)
Corresponding author
Wilkinson, John Michael
ORCID
Venue
Grass and Forage Science
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2019-04
Volume
74
Issue
2
Pages
178-187
ISSN
  • 0142-5242 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2494
DOI
10.1111/gfs.12418
OpenAlex
W2929003673
Semantic Scholar
8178e9b4a263cd3f195b50d6922c3d8f99d1fee4
Cited by
53
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1
FWCI
8.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Grass and Forage Science (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Agricultural Engineering and Mechanization
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food
Keywords
silage fermentation, silage quality, silage density, silo filling, soil compaction, robotic harvesting, aerobic deterioration, mycotoxins, silage additives, metabolomics, total mixed ration, biorefinery

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review