Abstract: 【Objective】The whole-crop wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has been used as forage for a long time in some countries. However, there were few studies and no forage wheat was bred in China. The present research compared the yields, nutrient value and fermentation quality of 3 wheat varieties selected from 15 varieties before, in order to provide a theoretical basis for planting wheat on winter fallow fields in South China. 【Method】Wheat was sown after autumn rice was harvested. The  seedling density of three varieties was 3.3×10⁵ plants·hm^-2 with three replicates in a randomized block design, and the area of each plot was12 m²(3 m×4 m). The N, P₂O₅ and K₂O were applied with 90.0, 36.0 and 48.0 kg·hm^-2 at a ratio of 6 to 4 as base fertilizer to topdressing at jointing stage. At dough stage, the plant height, tiller number of wheat were observed, and the yield was determined using a quadrant of 1.0 m×1.0 m in triplicates; the plant materials above 10 cm of the ground were taken for  microbiological analysis. The fresh samples were taken for chemical analyses and silage making. Fresh wheat materials were chopped into 2 to 3 cm lengths. After thorough mixing, 300 g of fresh materials was immediately packed into a plastic film bag (30 cm × 40 cm) in triplicates, degassed and sealed using a vacuum sealer. Thereafter, the bags were maintained at dark place for 60 d at the ambient temperature for silage quality investigation. The dried materials were ground by a hammer mill for chemical analyses.【Result】The plant heightand yields of dry matter and crude protein of Shimai 001 were 75.27 cm, 6.69 and 0.53 t·hm^-2, respectively, significantly higher than the other two varieties (P＜0.05); the dry matter digestibility and relative feeding value of HYN were the highest (63.84% DM and 113.51). The crude protein content of Xumai 856 was higher than that of HYN (P＜0.05), while Shimai 001 had no significant differences with the former varieties. The soluble carbohydrates contents of HYN, Shimai 001 and Xumai 856 were 11.83% DM, 9.14% DM and 5.93% DM, respectively, which were significantly different (P＜0.05). There were no significant differences in amounts of lactic acid bacteria, aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds among wheat varieties (P＞0.05). More lactic acid bacteria epiphyted on 3 varieties, which exceeded 10⁶ cfu·g^-1 FM. After opening the bag silos, the pH values of Shimai 001 and HYN were about 4.30, lower than 4.50 of Xumai 856, but not significant (P＞0.05). Shimai 001 had better fermentation quality, indicated by the highest content of lactic acid and the lowest content of butyric acid. After the silage materials were exposed upon to air for 192 h, the pH values of Shimai 001 and Xumai 856 had little change, their aerobic stability was better than that of HYN.【Conclusion】Based upon the yields of dry matter and crude protein, nutritional value and silage quality of whole plant wheat, Shimai 001 has a great potential as forage planting on winter fallow fields in Guangdong province.

Key words: wheat, winter fallow field, nutritional value, ensiling