High-moisture alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silage and the impact of alternative agricultural additives: industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and freeze-dried orange powder (Citrus × sinensis)
- 1Forage-Animal Production Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service
- 2Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky
- 3Kentucky Tobacco Research & Development Center, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky
Abstract
Introduction: The objective was to evaluate the effect of plant-derived additives from oranges ( Citrus × sinensis ) and industrial hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) on the composition and characteristics of direct-cut alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) silage.
Materials and methods: A 2 nd cutting of Ameristand 433T RR alfalfa was ensiled in two groups: unamended or 20 mL DI water added (WA). Each group had three treatments with two application rates each:: T1 – hemp crude oil extract (2 or 4 g kg ⁻¹ ), T2 – 2mm ground hemp hurd (5 or 10 g kg ⁻¹ ), and T3 – freeze-dried orange powder (40 or 60 g kg ⁻¹ ). The treated or control (unamended or WA; a subset was retained for pre-ensiling compositional analysis) material (~ 120 g bag ⁻¹ ) was sealed in vacuum bags and ensiled at 25 °C over 40 days. Post-ensiling, two sub samples were taken for spore-forming bacteria counts and fermentation analysis. The remainder of the post-ensiled material underwent compositional analysis.
Results and discussion: The results indicate that addition of the freeze-dried orange powder facilitated a reduction in proteolysis, marked by a low pH and decreased ammonia. However, there were limited differences in lactic and acetic acids produced across the conditions. Propionic and butyric acids were consistently below the limits of quantification (< 1.0 mM). Addition of orange powder, particularly at 60 g kg ⁻¹ , increased % DM but lowered % CP. There were inter-treatment variabilities, however the hemp treatments did not have a significant impact on silage quality. Additionally, there were no differences in spore-forming bacteria counts regardless of condition or treatment.
Conclusion: High-moisture alfalfa is known to preserve poorly due to its high buffering capacity and low water-soluble carbohydrate content limiting the necessary rapid reduction in pH. Collectively, the data suggests that the use of freeze-dried orange powder, but not hemp crude oil or ground hurd, in direct-cut alfalfa appears to retain silage quality within an acceptable range for high-moisture legume silages.
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BibTeX
@article{lakes2026highmoisture,
title = {{High-moisture alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silage and the impact of alternative agricultural additives: industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and freeze-dried orange powder (Citrus × sinensis)}},
author = {Jourdan E. Lakes and Gene L. Olson and Ying Wu and Huihua Ji and S. Ray Smith and Michael D. Flythe},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1973950},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1973950/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - High-moisture alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silage and the impact of alternative agricultural additives: industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and freeze-dried orange powder (Citrus × sinensis)
AU - Jourdan E. Lakes
AU - Gene L. Olson
AU - Ying Wu
AU - Huihua Ji
AU - S. Ray Smith
AU - Michael D. Flythe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1973950
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1973950/full
AB - Introduction: The objective was to evaluate the effect of plant-derived additives from oranges ( Citrus × sinensis ) and industrial hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) on the composition and characteristics of direct-cut alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) silage. Materials and methods: A 2 nd cutting of Ameristand 433T RR alfalfa was ensiled in two groups: unamended or 20 mL DI water added (WA). Each group had three treatments with two application rates each:: T1 – hemp crude oil extract (2 or 4 g kg ⁻¹ ), T2 – 2mm ground hemp hurd (5 or 10 g kg ⁻¹ ), and T3 – freeze-dried orange powder (40 or 60 g kg ⁻¹ ). The treated or control (unamended or WA; a subset was retained for pre-ensiling compositional analysis) material (~ 120 g bag ⁻¹ ) was sealed in vacuum bags and ensiled at 25 °C over 40 days. Post-ensiling, two sub samples were taken for spore-forming bacteria counts and fermentation analysis. The remainder of the post-ensiled material underwent compositional analysis. Results and discussion: The results indicate that addition of the freeze-dried orange powder facilitated a reduction in proteolysis, marked by a low pH and decreased ammonia. However, there were limited differences in lactic and acetic acids produced across the conditions. Propionic and butyric acids were consistently below the limits of quantification (< 1.0 mM). Addition of orange powder, particularly at 60 g kg ⁻¹ , increased % DM but lowered % CP. There were inter-treatment variabilities, however the hemp treatments did not have a significant impact on silage quality. Additionally, there were no differences in spore-forming bacteria counts regardless of condition or treatment. Conclusion: High-moisture alfalfa is known to preserve poorly due to its high buffering capacity and low water-soluble carbohydrate content limiting the necessary rapid reduction in pH. Collectively, the data suggests that the use of freeze-dried orange powder, but not hemp crude oil or ground hurd, in direct-cut alfalfa appears to retain silage quality within an acceptable range for high-moisture legume silages.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -