Yield and quality characteristics of sunflower silages in highlands

This research was carried out to compare the yield and quality characteristics of four sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genotypes (i.e., confectionery Tekirdag landrace, confectionery Erzurum landrace, oilseed Sirena and oilseed C70165 hybrids) and one corn (Zea mays L.) genotype (i.e., SZE TC-513 hybrid) in the Agriculture Faculty of Ataturk University in the east of Turkey during the period between 2005 and 2006. The study was designed in a randomized complete block design with five treatments replicated three times. The genotypes were evaluated in terms of forage properties as well as chemical and physical properties of silages in both years. According to the results, the corn genotype had better yield and silage qualities than sunflower genotypes. But crude protein contents of silages of sunflower genotypes were superior in comparison to the corn genotype. Also amongst sunflower genotypes, confectionery Tekirdag and Erzurum landraces had slightly higher silage qualities than oilseed sunflower hybrids.