In situ ruminal degradability of silages of elephant grass additivated with corn bran and inoculation of autochthonous microbiota

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the in situ degradability of dry matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fiber of elephant grass silage with corn bran and inoculation of autochthonous microbiota. For the silages used a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement (four levels of corn bran - 0, 5, 10 and 20dag/kg x with and without inoculation) and five replications, in a completely randomized design. In degradability trial, the experimental design was a randomized block, split plot in which three animals represented the blocks; silages represent the treatments, and the seven incubation times of food in the rumen (0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 144 hours), the subplots. With the addition of corn bran was increase the soluble fraction in the silages, and so treatments with 20dag/kg of corn bran resulted in higher values of the soluble fraction of the dry matter, 31.49 and 29.02%, for treatments with and without inoculant, respectively. The insoluble potentially degradable fraction of dry matter was higher in silages with 20 dag/kg of corn bran. In neutral detergent fiber, higher values of insoluble potentially degradable fraction were observed in the silage without corn bran, 56.52 and 57.19%, respectively, in the silages with and without inoculation of autochthonous microbiota. The addition of corn bran of elephant improves dry matter degradability of silages and decreases of neutral detergent fiber.