Nutritional value of sorghum silage of different purposes

Abstract

Sorghum is a crop that stands out as an alternative to corn due to lower soil fertility demand and increased tolerance to drought. Lack of information about the qualitative behaviour of sorghum hinders the recommendation of different purpose sorghum cultivars. The goal was to evaluate the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of different purpose sorghum cultivar silages, at two cropping seasons. The trial was conducted at the Plant Production Department, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rondônia, Colorado do Oeste campus, and chemical analyses and in vitro incubation were performed at the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá campus. The experimental design was a randomized block with a split-plot arrangement and four replications. Plot treatments consisted of six different purpose sorghum cultivars (BRS 308 and BRS 310, grain sorghum; BR 655 and BRS 610, forage sorghum; and BRS 506 and CMSXS 647, sweet sorghum). Split-plot treatments consisted of two cropping periods (first crop and second crop). Forage sorghum cultivar BRS 655 demonstrated higher non-fiber carbohydrate content and lower potentially digestible fibre content than the other cultivars did. Sweet sorghum cultivars had higher levels of water soluble carbohydrates and non-protein nitrogen based on protein, lower indigestible neutral detergent fibre content at second crop, and higher in vitro dry matter digestibility than the other cultivars. The silages of sweet sorghum cultivars BRS 506 and CMSXS 647, and forage sorghum cultivar BRS 655 presented higher nutritional values.

Productive performance and quantitative carcass traits of lambs fed saccharine sorghum silage

“…In this case, the excess of soluble carbohydrates can lead to the growth of yeasts and, consequently, to the formation of alcohol within the silos (Borreani et al, 2018). Neto et al (2017) compared the final products of the fermentation of different types of sorghum, and found that the saccharine varieties had an average of 5.9% ethanol in DM, whereas the contents of the forage and grass varieties were below 0.6% ethanol. Excessive alcohol production leads to increased DM losses and to a significant reduction in silage consumption by animals (Santos et al, 2018), which is another factor that may explain the lower DM intakes of silage observed in the present study.…”

“…The fact no differences were found between the intake and performance of animals fed saccharine or forage sorghum silages stands out. The low grain production of saccharine sorghum (Orrico Junior et al, 2015) is offset by the high content of soluble sugars (Neto et al, 2017), resulting in silage with a nutritional value similar to that of the traditionally used sorghum silage. Therefore, BRS 506 and BRS 511, saccharine sorghum varieties, can be used in ruminant feed.…”

“…When comparing the nutritional value of the silages of six sorghum hybrids for saccharine, forage, and grain production, Neto et al (2017) and Di Marco et al (2009) found high soluble carbohydrate contents, low indigestible neutral detergent insoluble fiber contents, and high dry matter in vitro digestibility coefficients. Although important, the researches of Orrico Junior et al (2015), Di Marco et al (2009), andNeto et al (2017) only indicate the potential of saccharin varieties for silage production. Therefore, further studies are needed to assess how the traditional silages of corn and forage sorghum, compared with those of the saccharin varieties, affect the consumption, performance, and carcass characteristics of animals when offered as feed.…”

Crop Sorghum Ensiled With Unsalable Vegetables Increases Silage Microbial Diversity

“…Sorghum is a high-yielding, drought-tolerant crop well suited to Australian climates. Forage, grain and sweet sorghum crops are commonly used in fodder production, with reported crude protein content ranging between 6.64 and 11.71% (Behling Neto et al, 2017). This is comparatively lower than barley (12.5%) and oat (14.1%) silages (González-García et al, 2016).…”

Effect of Storage Periods on Physical Quality and Seed Vigor of Four Varieties of Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor [L.] Moench)

“…Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a plant similar to corn in terms of agronomic and nutritional value (Neto et al, 2017). However, the requirements in terms of growth, sorghum is superior because it can adapt to drought and low soil fertility (Borba et al, 2012).…”