Produção de silagem com diferentes forrageiras estivais

Abstract

Forages are the main source of bulky food for ruminants, being a fundamental factor in the performance of dairy and beef cattle, besides being low-cost food. Brazil has a large variety of forage plants, and many can be used for silage production. This study aimed to analyze the productive, quantitative, and qualitative characteristics of three species destined for silage production: corn, sorghum, and sunflower; also sought to evaluate the chemical quality of the silages produced by these forages. The experimental design involved six cultivation blocks randomly distributed in the field. Each block was subdivided into three regions, and each region was intended for a different cultivar. The experiment was carried out in two consecutive years. In the first year, the planting was carried out in the first fortnight of August, and in the second year, it happened in the first fortnight of November. When 90% of the grains reached the full maturation stage, we submitted the blocks to an evaluation of productivity per planted area. Then, five plants were harvested from each block for separation and structural analysis, as well as for dry matter measurements. Next, crops were cut for the production and storage of the silage. After the fermentation process, samples of the final product were collected and then sent for chemical analysis. In terms of productivity, sunflower had a higher production of green matter per hectare. At the same time, corn showed superior dry matter production, and sorghum had more percentage of grains in the silage. Regarding the bromatological parameters, sunflower silage had the highest crude protein content, corn silage had the highest concentration of total digestible nutrients, and sorghum silage showed highest dry matter concentration. In general, for the soil and climatic conditions found during the experiment, corn was the forage that presented the best performance for silage production.