INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS FACTORS ON THE QUALITY OF SILAGE HARVESTED

The article provides an overview of contemporary scientific findings concerning the effects of various factors on the quality of silage produced from wilted forage grasses. Special emphasis is placed on examining how preliminary wilting influences the nutritional composition and biochemical characteristics of the resulting silage, and technological properties of ensiled feed. The role of dry matter content is revealed in relation to nutrient losses, the activity of enzymatic and microbiological processes, the formation of organic acids, digestibility, and changes in the structure of proteins, sugars, and carotene. The article presents data on the dynamics of forage dehydration as influenced by weather conditions, plant species, and swath arrangement methods, along with information on nutrient losses associated with varying durations of the wilting pricess. The conditions under which wilting becomes inefficient are examined, along with the necessity of using biological preservatives as a compensatory measure under unstable climatic conditions. The dynamics of chemical composition changes at different dry matter levels are presented, and the authors conclude that broader implementation of wilting technology in forage production is justified. The review is based on an analysis of domestic and international scientific publications, primarily from the last 30 years, including classical studies from the first half of the 20th century. The collected findings are systematized and generalized to identify modern trends and promising directions in the development of silage preparation technology from wilted forage. Keywords: ensiling, forage wilting, nutritional value, organic acids, forage production.