Hastening Drying Rate of Cut Alfalfa with Chemical Treatment

1 July 1980

journal article
Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Animal Science

Vol. 51 (1) , 1-9
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1980.5111

Abstract

Cut alfalfa was treated in the laboratory with mixed methyl esters of long chain fatty acids and a surfactant, X-77, alone and(or) with potassium carbonate. Significant increases over the drying rate of untreated plants were obtained after treatment with X-77 and methyl ester concentrations (v/v) of 2 to 15%. Addition of potassium carbonate to a methyl ester and X-77 emulsion halved the time it took to dry plants to 75% dry matter of untreated plants (29 hr vs 60 hr). Solution application rates of 5 to 10% of initial plant weight produced drying similar to that obtained with application of 30 to 48%. Methyl ester solutions containing C_{1 6} and C_{1 8} fatty acids, in combination with X-77, gave faster (P<.01) drying than did those containing C_{1 2} fatty acids. Copyright © 1980. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1980 by American Society of Animal Science.

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