**8. Conclusions**

Abiotic stresses such as drought and heat stress can substantially affect corn silage yield and quality, although the mechanisms by which they act are different. Depending on the moment at which occurs, drought stress can have varying impacts. If drought stress occurs only at vegetative stages, dry matter yields can be compromised but not necessarily its nutritional composition. Alternatively, if drought stress occurs during reproductive stages (i.e., silking), both dry matter yield and nutritional composition can be affected. Heat stress, defined as temperatures above 35 °C, during the initial stages of kernel development can have a major negative impact in both corn silage yields and nutritional composition. Management practices, such as hybrid selection and planting date, should be considered to avoid silking and early kernel development during season of very high environmental temperatures.
