Question:
“Our dairy producers will finally have a couple of days without rain and are starting to harvest high moisture corn. I’ve received several reports of a blue-black mold growing on the corn kernels, it sounds like many cobs are affected. I have information regarding drying and storage to prevent or reduce further mold growth. Do you have any comments regarding putting up and storing HM Corn?“
Answer:
I would basically re-iterate what I said in my note and recommend they put it up at 28-32% moisture as HMC treated with Buchneri 500 at the HMC rate. The Pedio will get it anaerobic, stopping the mold growth, far quicker than any dry down will. And then the LB will reduce the mold numbers during storage.
But do beware of toxins that may come in on the crop from the field. The mold you describe could include Penicilliium, which is capable of producing a number of nasty toxins.
Best regards,
The Silage Doctor
Question:
“What level of propionic acid would you need for 40% high-moisture shelled corn? Also, what would be the cause of an orange-colored mold?“
Answer:
Thank you for your question. Please review our table of recommended application rates of propionic acid to preserve high moisture corn.
These amounts are in pounds of propionic acid per 1000 lbs of wet corn, so you will need to double that amount to equal one ton. Also, you will need to convert for percent of propionic acid in the product: If the product is 70% propionic acid, you will need to divide by 0.7; if 60%, divide by 0.6, and so on. Use a lower rate for well-mixed corn and a higher rate if acid and grain cannot be well-mixed.
Orange-colored mold likely indicates rust. I have seen these on silages all over the world, especially heavily on oils palm kernel fronds, strangely, in Malaysia years ago. From the recent paper presented at the UF-Gainesville group at ADSA: “Southern rust is an aggressive disease caused by Puccina polysora fungi that can destroy a corn field in a few days. It is dispersed by airborne spores that form orange, circular pustules mainly on the upper leaf surface. The fungus diverts nutrients away from the plant causing leaf death.” Click Here for a posterette of that paper that shows how effective Biotal® Buchneri 500 was on the rust-infested materials.
Best regards,
The Silage Doctor
Question:
“In parts of New York, we have corn fields that were flooded. Many producers plan to harvest this as HMC rather than as corn silage. Should they use an inoculant or an acid (like propionic) on this material at time of harvest? If they use an inoculant, do they have to increase the application rate? “
Answer:
Both additives can be options to treating high moisture corn.
Applying a propionic acid based-product is more expensive, and it should be applied at high doses (4-8 lbs/ton) . Low levels are not effective and could actually stimulate the production of secondary metabolism by surviving fungi (e.g., mycotoxins).
Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 has been proven to be effective at preserving HMC (ground and whole kernel) in several scientific publications. It is FDA-approved for improved aerobic stability using the application rate of 600,000 cfu/g of HM corn; it is a 50% higher dose compared to the dose applied to other crops. There is also a combination product (“Buchneri500″) that has a homolactic bacteria in addition of L. buchneri 40788. This would result in a faster degree of anaerobiosis after sealing the silo and effective control of mold growth during early fermentation, and L. buchneri would protect the material during storage and feed-out. The application rate of this product is 750,000 cfu/g of HM corn, as stated on the label.
The moisture content of the material should be > 26% (ideally 28-32%), so the bugs can be active and subsequently effective, and also to maximize starch digestibility. If the material gets out of hand and becomes really dry, then a prop acid additive would be the preferred alternative , but must be used at the manufacturer’s full recommended rate for the DM of the crop. Using propionic acid at below the recommended rate has been shown to potentially stimulate mycotoxin production.
Best regards,
The Silage Doctor
