Fermentation Profile of Millet Silage With Inclusion of Dehydrated Corn Grain, Cob and Straw

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluating the fermentation characteristics of millet silage, cultivar ADR500, under the inclusion of different levels of dehydrated corn grain, cob and straw (CGCS): 0, 5, 10 and 15%, ensiled after 78 days of vegetative growth. The experimental design was completely randomized with 4 treatments and 4 replications, totaling 16 experimental units. Was evaluated pH, buffering capacity, lactic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, gas and effluents losses, dry matter recovery, and soluble carbohydrates. Data were subjected to an analysis of variance and means were compared by 5% Tukey test. A regression analysis was performed for the inclusion levels. CGCS inclusion reduced (P<0.05) gas and effluent loss in all treatments, ranging from 6.10 to 3.48 for gases and 9.05 to 17.28 for effluents, and significantly contributed to the dry matter recovery process (DM). Buffer power values (BP), pH and ammoniacal-N were influenced (P <0.05) by the inclusion of different levels of CGCS. Levels of acetic, propionic, butyric, and lactic acid were influenced by treatments. Finally, soluble carbohydrate values is increased depending on the CGCS inclusion levels, proving be efficient to improve the silage fermentation profile quality.