Breeding Maize Hybrids for High Silage Yield and Quality

Maize silage is an important source of forage.Superior hybrids should yield well,have high silage quality,and be adapted to local environments.Dual-type hybrids can be used for grain and silage production.They are usually taller and later in maturity and have a higher percentage of tropical germplasm than the typical temperate grain hybrids.Leafy hybrids have 9-12 leaves above the top ear due to a dominant gene(Lfy1).They usually have tall flexible stalks,thinner stalk rinds,wider leaves,soft and white cobs,and softer kernels.Silage-specific brown midrib hybrids have higher silage digestibility.Breeding for brown midrib hybrids takes more efforts because brown midrib trait is recessive and the two parent lines must be homozygous for a particular recessive gene.In 2010,the Texas state silage maize performance tests involved 28 hybrids at Halfway and 33 hybrids at Etter.The top yielding hybrid produced 78 210 kg/ha of silage yield and 27 370 kg/ha of dry matter.Silage quality was assayed with the NIR method.The tested hybrids had,on average based on the dry matter,40.9% starch,36.4% NDF,and 75% TDN.