USO DE INOCULANTE REDUZ AS PERDAS FERMENTATIVAS DE SILAGEM DE FORRAGEIRAS TROPICAIS

Abstract

The silage of tropical forages is a promising alternative to ensure high-quality feed during periods of low forage production. Incorporating a legume into the system positively impacts the production and quality of the silage. Additionally, the inclusion of microbial inoculants becomes essential to mitigate undesirable characteristics of tropical forage silage that may compromise the quality of the ensiled material.

Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of the inoculant on the fermentative profile of Tamani grass and Bela stylosanthes silage in monoculture and intercropped systems. The experiment was conducted at the Instituto Federal Goiano, Campus Rio Verde, Goiás, using a randomized block design with four replications in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme. The factors consisted of three forage systems (Tamani grass; Bela stylosanthes; and Tamani grass intercropped with Bela stylosanthes) and two ensiling methods (with and without inoculant), totaling 24 experimental silos.

For ensiling, the material was harvested at the 28-day growth cycle of the forages. After 50 days of fermentation, the silos were opened to evaluate the fermentative characteristics of the silages. The results showed that silage production from forages without inoculant exhibited inadequate fermentative characteristics, impairing the preservation of nutritional value. The addition of inoculant in the ensiling process improves silage fermentation, ensuring proper preservation of nutritional quality.

The intercropping of Tamani grass with Bela stylosanthes increases dry matter (DM) production per unit area compared to monoculture tropical forage silage. Therefore, intercropped silages of Tamani grass and Bela stylosanthes with the addition of inoculant can be recommended as a productive and sustainable practice to reduce costs associated with protein and mineral supplementation.