Untreated or ammoniated cotton gin trash in the ensiling of elephant grass reduces silage quality

Danilo Gusmão de  Quadros; Alexandro Pereira  Andrade; Guilherme Soares de  Souza; Fagner Estevam da  Silva; Edwilka Oliveira  Cavalcante

Untreated or ammoniated cotton gin trash in the ensiling of elephant grass reduces silage quality

Autores

Danilo Gusmão de Quadros

Alexandro Pereira Andrade

Guilherme Soares de Souza

Fagner Estevam da Silva

Edwilka Oliveira Cavalcante

Editor

Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Descripción

This study examined the inclusion of untreated or urea-ammoniated CGT on the chemical composition, pH, gas, and effluent losses, dry matter recovery (DMR), and aerobic stability of elephantgrass silage. The experiment was laid out in a randomized design with a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement represented by three levels of inclusion of CGT during ensiling (0, 5, or 10%) and three levels of ammoniation of CGT with urea before ensiling (0, 4 or 8% for 28 days), using four replications. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and Tukey's test, considering a 5% significance level. The pH and DM, NDIN, ADIN, NDF and ADF contents of the silages increased (p < 0.05) with the inclusion of CGT, regardless of ammoniation. The lowest (p < 0.05) effluent loss was achieved using 10% of CGT ammoniated with 8% urea. In contrast, the elephantgrass silage exhibited the lowest (p < 0.05) gas loss and the greatest (p < 0.05) DMR. The inclusion of CGT compromised the aerobic stability of the silage. Therefore, the inclusion of CGT - either untreated or ammoniated - in the ensiling of elephantgrass is not recommended.