Abstract
Twelve male adult Black Head Persian sheep were used in a digestibility and feed intake trial to evaluate maize, guinea grass and jaragua grass silages. The forages were cut at the pre-anthesis, anthesis and post-anthesis stages of growth. Dry matter (DM), pH and ammonia nitrogen of the silages were also determined. Maize silage had a lower mean pH than the 2 grass silages. The organic matter digestibility (OMD), crude protein digestibility (CPD) and crude fibre digestibility (CFD) were higher in maize silage than in the 2 grasses. Guinea grass silage had a significantly ( P < 0.01) higher OMD, CPD and CFD than jaragua grass silage. Silages made from herbage harvested at the pre-anthesis stage had a significantly ( P < 0.01) higher OMD, CPD and CFD than those made from herbage harvested at the post-anthesis stage of growth. Maize silage was superior at all stages of growth, except at pre-anthesis, to the 2 grass silages. Both jaragua and guinea grass produced good silage when herbage was harvested at the pre-anthesis and anthesis stages of growth.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
