Silage quality of six sorghum cultivars for sheep

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the silage quality, fermentation profile, intake, and digestibility of six sorghum cultivars for sheep feeding. 'SF 15', 'IPA 2502', 'BRS 655', 'BR 601', 'BRS 506', and 'Sudão' were cultivated in randomized complete block designs with five replicates, harvested, and ensiled when plants reached the soft-dough grain stage. Silage quality was determined in laboratory silos. Intake and apparent digestibility were determined during 22 days, using 24 Santa Inês lambs (35.5±2.21 kg) randomly distributed in the treatments. Silage from 'IPA 2502' had the lowest contents of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber; the highest nonfibrous carbohydrate and total digestible nutrient contents; and the greatest dry matter degradability. Silages from 'BR 601' and 'BRS 506' showed the highest values of crude protein, whereas those of 'SF 15' and 'Sudão' had the highest levels of fibrous fractions. Lambs fed silage from 'IPA 2502' consumed more dry matter and nonfibrous carbohydrates, and their crude protein digestibility was also greater than that from the consumption of other cultivar silages. 'IPA 2502' stands out for its nutritional characteristics, which resulted in better animal performance.

摘要：本研究旨在评估6个高粱品种用于绵羊饲喂时的青贮品质、发酵特性、采食量与表观消化率。试验采用随机完全区组设计，对‘SF 15’、‘IPA 2502’、‘BRS 655’、‘BR 601’、‘BRS 506’及‘Sudão’6个品种进行种植，设置5次重复，待作物籽粒进入软熟期时收获并制作青贮。青贮品质通过实验室青贮罐进行测定。采食量与表观消化率的测定周期为22天，选用24只体重为35.5±2.21 kg的圣塔伊内斯（Santa Inês）羔羊，随机分配至各处理组。结果显示，‘IPA 2502’青贮的干物质、中性洗涤纤维与酸性洗涤纤维含量最低，而非纤维碳水化合物与总可消化养分含量最高，同时干物质降解率也最高。‘BR 601’与‘BRS 506’的青贮粗蛋白含量最高，而‘SF 15’与‘Sudão’的青贮纤维组分含量最高。饲喂‘IPA 2502’青贮的羔羊，其干物质与非纤维碳水化合物采食量更高，粗蛋白消化率也优于其他品种青贮饲喂组。‘IPA 2502’因其优异的营养特性，可实现更优的动物生产性能，表现突出。