Theme 21: Forage Conservation

Description

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of additional sorghum grain and stage of maturity of forage sorghum silage on the animal performance. Two feeding trials were conducted with forage sorghum silage made at different stage of plant maturity. In trial 1, early silage was made with the crop harvested in early bloom stage. Four diets based on different ratios of silage: sorghum grain were evaluated: 100% silage (ES); 80% silage: 20% dry grain (ES20D); 60% silage: 40% dry grain (ES40D) and 60% silage: 40% wet grain silage (ES40W). In trial 2, late silage was made with the forage sorghum crop in dough maturity stage. Four diets combining different proportions of silage and sorghum grain (wet grain silage) were evaluated: 100% silage (LS); 90% silage: 10% grain (LS10W); 80% silage: 20% grain (LS20W); 70% silage: 30% grain (LS30W). In all components and diets, chemical composition was analyzed and animal performance was determined. In all cases the addition of sorghum grain to the forage sorghum silage improved the diet chemical composition. With early silage there was a high response in the daily live weigh gain (DLWG) (g/day) to the addition of sorghum grain (ES: 232; ES20D: 477, ES40D: 788; ES40W: 687), but there was no difference in dry matter intake between treatments with an average of 92 g DM/ kg 0.75 BW. With late silage, the DLWG only was higher than LS when grain was added in 30% of the diet (LS: 505; LS10W: 529; LS20W: 583, LS30W: 688). There was difference in the DLWG and in feed intake between the two maturity stages of the silages (ES vs LS).

Share

COinS
 

Evaluation of Forage Sorghum Silages with the Addition of Sorghum Grain

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of additional sorghum grain and stage of maturity of forage sorghum silage on the animal performance. Two feeding trials were conducted with forage sorghum silage made at different stage of plant maturity. In trial 1, early silage was made with the crop harvested in early bloom stage. Four diets based on different ratios of silage: sorghum grain were evaluated: 100% silage (ES); 80% silage: 20% dry grain (ES20D); 60% silage: 40% dry grain (ES40D) and 60% silage: 40% wet grain silage (ES40W). In trial 2, late silage was made with the forage sorghum crop in dough maturity stage. Four diets combining different proportions of silage and sorghum grain (wet grain silage) were evaluated: 100% silage (LS); 90% silage: 10% grain (LS10W); 80% silage: 20% grain (LS20W); 70% silage: 30% grain (LS30W). In all components and diets, chemical composition was analyzed and animal performance was determined. In all cases the addition of sorghum grain to the forage sorghum silage improved the diet chemical composition. With early silage there was a high response in the daily live weigh gain (DLWG) (g/day) to the addition of sorghum grain (ES: 232; ES20D: 477, ES40D: 788; ES40W: 687), but there was no difference in dry matter intake between treatments with an average of 92 g DM/ kg 0.75 BW. With late silage, the DLWG only was higher than LS when grain was added in 30% of the diet (LS: 505; LS10W: 529; LS20W: 583, LS30W: 688). There was difference in the DLWG and in feed intake between the two maturity stages of the silages (ES vs LS).