Two steel corrugated rolls turning at differential speeds were integrated in an experimental pull-type forageharvester for crop processing. With a 12.7 mm theoretical length-of-cut setting, the processing rolls were used to treatalfalfa at a 1 mm clearance between the rolls. Processing required 30% more total harvest energy (5.6 vs 4.3 kWh/t drymatter). Processing corn at a 4.5 mm clearance required 7% more energy (3.7 vs 3.5 kWh/t DM). Mean particle lengthwas reduced by 13% in alfalfa and 15% in corn after processing. About 38% of the corn kernels were pulverized(in particles smaller than 2 mm) by the processor; the remaining kernels were more broken than kernels in non-processedcorn. Samples of alfalfa and corn were immediately frozen after harvest (i.e., non fermented), subsequently thawed andincubated in the rumen of fistulated cows to measure the rate of degradation. Processing increased the rapidly degradabledry matter fraction of alfalfa but did not affect the overall, effective degradability. Processing increased the effectivedegradability of corn dry matter by 3%.
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Roberge et al. (1998) studied this question.