<p><strong>Background</strong>. Maize cultivation and dairy cattle represent two of the main economic activities in Mexico. <strong>Objective</strong>. Determine the forage yield (ton / ha) and forage quality of the maize silage produced in Mexico and estimate potential milk production. <strong>Methodology</strong>. For this purpose, 13 studies carried out in Mexico, were analyzed according to study area (north vs. center of Mexico) and variety (native vs. hybrid). For inclusion in the final database, the studies should have been including agronomic and chemical variables such as: dry matter yield (DMY) (ton / ha), plant density (number of plants / ha), dry matter content (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), ash or organic matter (OM), dry matter digestibility (DMD), neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), starch and fat content. The data were analyzed using a completely randomized statistical design. <strong>Results</strong>. The forage DMY (dry matter yield) / ha, and the milk production (ton DM / ha) were higher (P &lt;0.0001) for the central region with respect to the northern region. Regarding to the milk production (kg milk/ ha) the native silages produced more (P &lt;0.05) than the hybrids. A positive correlation was observed for the content of NEL (net energy of lactation) (MJ / kg DM) and kg milk / ton DM. <strong>Implications</strong>. The native maize of Mexico thus has the potential to provide greater production of milk / ha and kg Milk/ per ton DM with respect to hybrid maize, due to the higher digestibility of the NDF that causes the higher NEl.<strong> Conclusions.</strong> The use of native maize in Mexico is a viable alternative for use as a silage in feed for dairy cows, with higher milk production per hectare and per ton of dry matter compared to hybrid maize.</p>

The objective of the present study was to characterize maize silage according to chemical composition, maize silage yield, as well as their predicted milk production. A search was made on studies related to maize silage yield, density, chemical composition (DM, CP, NDF, starch), and dry matter digestibility (DMD). In this study, 41 maize varieties from temperate regions and 101 maize varieties from tropical origin were analyzed. The net energy of lactation (NEL Mcal/kg DM), kilograms of milk per t of silage (kg of milk/t DM), and kilograms of milk per hectare of silage (kg of milk/ha) were determined. A cluster (CL) analysis was performed, and six CL of maize silage were obtained. The CL1 included digestibility for dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, NEL, and kg of milk/t DM. CL2 was characterized by maize silage with the highest number of plants per hectare and NDF. CL3 included the highest ash content. CL4 consisted of intermediate values for all variables. CL5 included the highest forage yield (t DM/ha) and kg of milk/ha whereas CL6 included the highest kg of milk/t. Overall, CL1 resulted in the highest DMD and NEL, producing more milk per t DM. Results suggested that the ideal option is maize silage with a higher forage yield and more than 35 % DM (CL5) since this produces more kg of milk per hectare.