-Corn and sorghum are standard silage crops because of their fermentative characteristics. While corn and sorghum silages have lower crude protein (CP) contents than other crops, intercropping with legumes can increase CP content. Furthermore, one way to increase CP content is the addition of legumes to silage. Consequently, the research objective was to evaluate the fermentative and bromatological characteristics of corn (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) silages added with forage peanuts (Arachis pintoi). The experimental design was completely randomized with four replicates. The treatments consisted of corn silage, sorghum silage, forage peanut silage, corn silage with 30% forage peanut, and sorghum silage with 30% forage peanut. The results showed that the corn and sorghum added with peanut helped to improve the silage fermentative and bromatological characteristics, proving to be an efficient technique for silage quality. The forage peanut silage had lower fermentative characteristics than the corn and sorghum silages. However, the forage peanut silage had a greater CP content, which increased the protein contents of the corn and sorghum silages when intercropped with forage peanuts. Keywords:Additive. Arachis pintoi. Sorghum bicolor. Zea mays. QUALIDADE DA SILAGEM DE MILHO E SORGO ADITIVADA COM AMENDOIM FORRAGEIRORESUMO -O milho e o sorgo são considerados culturas padrão para ensilagem, em virtude de suas características fermentativas. No entanto, silagens de milho e sorgo apresentam teores de proteína bruta inferiores aos de outras culturas. E uma das formas para aumentar a proteína bruta é a adição de leguminosa na ensilagem. Diante disso, objetivou-se avaliar as características fermentativas e bromatológicas da silagem de milho (Zea mays) e sorgo (Sorghum bicolor) aditivada com amendoim forrageiro (Arachis pintoi). O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos de silagem de milho; silagem de sorgo; silagem de amendoim forrageiro; silagem de milho com 30% de amendoim forrageiro e silagem de sorgo com 30% de amendoim forrageiro. Os resultados demonstraram que a silagem de milho e sorgo aditivada com amendoim forrageiro, contribuiu para melhorar os parametros fermentativos e bromatológicos da silagem, mostrando ser uma técnica eficiente para a qualidade da silagem. A silagem de amendoim forrageiro apresentou caracteríticas fermentantivas inferiores a silagem de milho e sorgo, em contrapartida apresentou maior teor de PB, que contribuiu para aumentar o teor protéico das silagens de milho e sorgo. Palavras-chave:Aditivo. Arachis pintoi. Sorghum bicolor. Zea mays.

As part of the search for sustainability in production systems, systems of annual crops intercropped with tropical forage plants have recently been used for silage production. Therefore, in the present study we aimed to evaluate the dry matter yield, fermentative parameters and nutritional value of the silage of sorghum intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass in different forage systems and maturity stages in a crop-livestock integration system. The experiment was conducted at the Goiano Federal Institute (Instituto Federal Goiano), Rio Verde Campus, Goiás, Brazil, in a completely randomised design with four replications in a 5 × 3 factorial arrangement with five forage systems (monocropped sorghum, monocropped Paiaguas palisadegrass, sorghum row intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass, sorghum inter-row intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass and sorghum oversown and intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass) and three maturity stages of the sorghum (milky, soft dough and hard dough). The results show that for all sowing methods, the silages of the intercropping systems harvested in the hard-dough stage provide a higher yield per area than did the monocropped sorghum and Paiaguas palisadegrass. The intercropping of sorghum with Paiaguas palisadegrass in crop-livestock integration systems could become an important option for the production of silage because intercropping minimises the inconveniences resulting from the fermentation process of the silage of monocropped grasses and improves the quality of the silage. These findings show this intercropping method to be advantageous strategy for the production of supplemental roughage in addition to contributing to the formation of pasture after the crops have been harvested for ensiling.

Pastures are the most practical and cost-effective way to feed cattle and are the basis of livestock production in Central Brazil. Grass–legume intercropping is essential for increasing production in sustainable animal-feeding systems. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the productive and nutritional characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha (A.Rich.) Stapf (palisade grass) cultivars intercropped with Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande (multiline 80% S. capitata and 20% S. macrocephala) in different forage systems, in different seasons of the year, over a 2-year period. A randomised block experimental design was used, with three replicates. The treatments consisted of the following seven forage systems: Piata palisade grass, Paiaguas palisade grass, Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande, row intercropping of Piata palisade grass and Stylosanthes, mixed intercropping of Piata palisade grass and Stylosanthes, row intercropping of Paiaguas palisade grass and Stylosanthes, and mixed intercropping of Paiaguas palisade grass and Stylosanthes. Evaluations were performed in each season of the year (winter, spring, summer, autumn) on the same plots over the 2-year period. Piata and Paiaguas palisade grass behaved similarly in all forage systems, indicating that both can be intercropped with Stylosanthes. Grass–legume intercropping had a positive effect on the productive and nutritional characteristics of the forage plants, increasing dry matter production, crude protein concentrations and in vitro dry matter digestibility, and decreasing the fibre fractions. Row intercropping was more efficient at maintaining high proportions of legume plants in the system, resulting in greater forage production and quality.

SUMMARY Sunflower as silage is an alternative to be used in the off-season, when water shortage makes traditional crops unfeasible. However, exclusive sunflower silages have levels above 70 g/kg DM ether extract, which may impair ruminal fermentation. Thus, ensiling sunflower with tropical forages can bring benefits to the quality of the silage. This study evaluated the fermentation profile and nutritional value of sunflower silage with cultivars of Urochloa brizantha in the off-season. This was a completely randomized experimental design with four replications. The treatments were composed of the sunflower silage with and without addition of cultivars of Urochloa brizantha in the ensiling process: sunflower silage; sunflower silage + 30% Marandu palisadegrass; sunflower silage + 30% Xaraes palisadegrass; sunflower silage + 30% Piata palisadegrass and sunflower silage + 30% Paiaguas palisadegrass, totaling 20 experimental silos. The addition of the cultivars of Urochloa brizantha to sunflower silage contributed to improve the fermentation profile and nutritional value of the silages. Silages with 30% Piata and Paiaguas palisadegrass showed higher levels of CP and lower levels of ADF and lignin, and these cultivars are the most recommended for ensiling with sunflower.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the fermentative and bromatological characteristics of Piata palisadegrass that was ensiled with energetic brans and to assess the costs of different additive levels. This experiment was conducted at the Goiano Federal Institute on the Rio Verde campus in Goiás State, Brazil. The experimental design was entirely random with four replications in a 4 × 5 factorial scheme that included four energetic brans (millet, maize, sorghum and wheat) and five levels (0%, 8%, 16%, 24% and 32%). The energetic brans can be considered as a good source of additives for Piata palisadegrass ensiling, which improves the qualitative and nutritional fermentative characteristics of the silage. The maize and wheat brans were the most efficient for improving the fermentative characteristics of the silage. However, millet bran was the most efficient for improving the bromatological characteristics. In addition, the wheat bran had the greatest influence on the final production cost and the sorghum and millet brans were the most economically feasible. Overall, the addition of 24% bran is recommended due to its beneficial impact on silage quality and the average final production cost of the silage.