Fermentation Parameters and Quality of Sweet and Biomass Sorghum Silages With Doses of Vinasse

Abstract

The cultivation of sorghum for silage production has gained more space each year because of its satisfactory nutritional characteristics, resistance to water deficit and adaptability to various types of soil. Thus, the use of sorghum silage has been an alternative for periods of low forage production, providing quality food for ruminants. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the fermentation parameters and quality of sweet and biomass sorghum silages added with doses of vinasse. The experiment was a 2 x 5 factorial completely randomized design with three replications of two sorghum species (sweet and biomass) and five doses of vinasse applied to the soil: 0; 50; 100; 150 and 200 m³ ha^-1, totaling 30 experimental silos. For silage, sorghum species were harvested in the 105-day cycle, with 30.5 and 32.3 g kg^-1 dry matter, for biomass and sweet sorghum, respectively. The results showed that the biomass sorghum silage showed higher dry mass production. However, the sweet sorghum silage presented a lower buffering capacity, NH₃-N, and higher concentration of lactic acid. Doses of vinasse increased the content of crude protein, in vitro digestibility of dry matter and ether extract and reduced fiber fractions in both sorghum species, showing that both species can be used for silage production. Vinasse is a promising alternative to organic fertilizer, since the use of 200 m³ ha^-1 positively influenced the fermentation parameters and nutritional value of the sorghum silages.