Multi-year evaluation of silage yield, quality, and stability of maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes in the central Black Sea region of Türkiye

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the dominant silage crop in intensive livestock systems because of its high biomass production and energy-rich, well-fermenting forage. Here, 16 silage maize genotypes were evaluated for four consecutive seasons (2017–2020) under the ecological conditions of Samsun, Türkiye, using a broad set of phenological, morphological, yield, and forage-quality traits (including fiber fractions and energy-based indices such as digestible/gross energy and estimated milk yield). Across years, substantial environmental variation affected several traits, highlighting the importance of multi-year testing for genotype assessment. Among the evaluated materials, TTM 2015–22 showed high fresh biomass productivity (67.1 t ha⁻1), and one of the highest dry matter yields (22.6 t ha⁻1), whereas several compositional traits were strongly influenced by seasonal conditions and should be interpreted cautiously.” These results emphasize the value of genotype choice to balance yield and forage quality under the conditions tested, although genotype recommendations for quality-related traits require cautious interpretation.