Use of additives and pre-wilting in Tifton 85 bermudagrass silage production

Abstract

The use of tropical grasses silage has become common in ruminant feed. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the fermentation characteristics, nutritional value, pH, fermentative capacity, ammonia nitrogen / total nitrogen (NH3N/total N) of Tifton 85 bermudagrass grass silage with different additives and wilting. The treatments were: pre-drying in the sun for two hours before silage, use of inoculant-enzymatic addition of soybean hulls, corn grits addition and use of salt in the surface layer of the silo. The experimental design was completely randomized with 6 treatments and 4 replications. Plants of Tifton 85 bermudagrass with 38 days of growth were ensiled in experimental silos with Bunsen valve type with packing densities of 236 kg of silage per m 3 for Tifton 85 bermudagrass pre-dried in the sun and 294 kg of silage per m 3 for the other treatments. The proportions of soybean hulls and corn grits added to the silage were calculated based on the initial DM content of Tifton 85 bermudagrass order to obtain MS 320 g kg -1 for the material to be ensiled. The buffering capacity did not differ between treatments in getting 29.56 (meqHCl/100gMS). It was found that the concentration of ammonia nitrogen did not differ between silages and remained low (3.22 g kg -1 ), the pH after silo opening was also similar with an average of 4.09 getting above 4.2 only in Tifton 85 bermudagrass silage without pre-treatment. The crude protein was higher in silages Tifton 85 bermudagrass and Tifton 85 bermudagrass with soybean hulls (17.48 g kg -1 ). The use corn grits caused a reduction in the values of NDF. The use of salt on the surface the layer reduced the production of latic and acetic acid.Index terms: Acid latic, corn grits, enzymatic-bacterian inoculant, ammonia nitrogen, soybean hulls. RESUMOO uso de silagem de gramíneas tropicas tem se tornado comum na alimentação de ruminante. Conduziu-se um experimento com o objetivo de avaliar o perfil fermentativo e valor nutricional da silagem de capim Tifton 85 com diferentes aditivos e emurchecimento. Os tratamentos foram: pré-secagem ao sol por 2 horas antes de ensilar, uso de inoculante bacteriano-enzimático, adição de casca de soja, adição de quirera de milho e uso de sal grosso na camada superficial do silo. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com 6 tratamentos e 4 repetições. Plantas de capim Tifton 85 com 38 dias de crescimento foram ensiladas em silos experimentais com válvula tipo Bunsen com densidades de compactação de 236 kg de silagem por m 3 para o Tifton 85 pré-seco ao sol e 294 kg de silagem por m 3 para os demais tratamentos. As proporções de casca de soja e quirera de milho, adicionados à silagem, foram calculados com base no teor de MS inicial do Tifton 85 visando à obtenção de MS de 320 g kg -1 para o material a ser ensilado. A capacidade tampão não diferiu entre tratamentos ficando em 29,56 (meqHCl/100gMS). Verificou-se que os teores de nitrogênio amoniacal não diferiram entre as silagens e mantiveram-se baixos (32,2 g kg -1 ), o ...

Characterization of Tifton 85 bermudagrass haylage with different layers of polyethylene film and storage time

“…Adequate levels of SCs in haylages favor the establishment and growth of lactic-acid-producing bacteria, which promote the reduction of pH and the conservation of the ensiled material. According to Neres et al [ 15 ], tropical bermudagrass silages present low soluble carbohydrate concentrations among 20 and 50 g/kg, corroborating the results of the present study.…”

“…High levels of acetic acid occur due to the presence of heterolactic bacteria and indicate undesirable changes during fermentation, causing a reduction in silage consumption by the animals. Results superior to those observed in this experiment were previously reported by Neres et al [ 15 ], who obtained mean acetic acid values of 42.38 g/kg DM in Tifton 85 bermudagrass haylage at 30 days of storage.…”

Nutritional value of Tifton 85 grass haylage under different layers of polyethylene film and storage times

“…This fact is related to the linear increase in ADF contents with storage time. Neres et al (2014) evaluated Tifton 85 grass haylage and found a mean IVDMD value of 603.6 g kg -1 , a result similar to that obtained in the present study. There was no effect of storage time on the IVNDFD of the haylage, which averaged 582.1 g kg -1 DM (Table 2).…”