Sunflower meal concentrations in Massai grass silage

• Main Authors: Máikal S. Borja, Ronaldo L. Oliveira, Luciano S. Lima, Adriana R. Bagaldo, Gleidson GP. Carvalho, Cláudio VDM Ribeiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Cordoba 2012-08-01
• Series: Revista MVZ Cordoba
• Subjects: Energy; fermentation; forage value index; ruminants; silage
• Online Access: http://revistas.unicordoba.edu.co/revistamvz/mvz-172/V17N2A12.pdf

Objetive. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the best sunflower meal concentration in Massai grass silage. Materials and methods. The treatments were composed of 0, 8, 16, and 24% sunflower meal (natural matter basis) during ensiling of Massai grass, with four repetitions. Results. The regression equation showed that the inclusion of sunflower meal between 2.14% and 13.91% obtained a silage dry matter between 25 and 35%, which are the values recommended for the production of high quality silage. The addition of sunflower meal showed a linear increase in crude protein, reaching 18% DM with the highest concentration of sunflower meal. The highest feed value index was obtained with the addition of 24% sunflower meal in the silage. The estimated total digestible nutrient of silage increased linearly with sunflower meal concentration. The silage pH values had a quadratic effect, reaching the lowest value (4.1) with 15% sunflower meal addition. Conclusions. Based on the chemical composition and forage quality, a concentration of 14% sunflower meal should be used for high-quality silage with good nutritional value.