NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ELEPHANT GRASS SILAGE WITH DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS OF COFFE HULLS

Abstract We evaluated the nutritional value and the bromatological characteristics of elephant grass (EG) silages, cut at 70 days of regrowth, adding four levels of coffee hulls (1-EG; 2-EG + 10%; 3-EG + 20%; and 4-EG + 30%). A randomized block design with four treatments and six replicates was used. The lignin, cellulose, caffeine, IVDDM, pH, N-NH3 and effluent and gas losses were determined in the silages. The DM values increased as pH decreased linearly with the increase of coffee hulls in EG silage. The effluent production occurred only in the silage without coffee hulls on the first five days, with higher production on the first three days. The N-NH3 values decreased linearly with the increase of the coffee hulls. There was an increase in CP content as the coffee hulls increased. There was an increase of NDF and reduction of the ADF and IVDDM linear decrease with the increase of the coffee hulls. These results show that the coffee hulls as an additive was effective in improving the characteristics of elephant grass silage cut at 70 days of age