Can Fermentative and Nutritional Quality of Panicum maximum Silage be Improved with the Use of Corn Silage Juice as a Bioinoculant?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of Paredão grass silage (Panicum maximum Jacq.) with fermented juice produced from corn silage in different fermentation periods, as bioinoculant, through the characteristics: gas and effluent losses, dry matter recovery, chemical composition, microbiological profile and aerobic stability. The treatments consisted of fermented corn silage juices obtained in different fermentation periods, which were: 0, 5, 10, 15 and 30 days of fermentation, and were used as a bioinoculant additive in Paredão grass silage. The lowest effluent losses were observed in silages containing corn silage juice fermented for 10 days, while the highest dry matter recovery values were observed in silages containing corn silage juice fermented for 30 days. The highest values of crude protein were observed in silages containing corn silage juice fermented for 10 days. The highest content of lactic acid (53 ± 2.2 g/kg DM) was observed in the Paredão grass silage containing corn silage juice fermented for 10 days. The inclusion of corn silage juice fermented for 10 days as bioinoculant improves the quality of Paredão grass silage, as it presented greater recovery of the silage dry matter, higher crude protein content and greater amount of beneficial acids