Abstract

The chemical composition, fermentation profile, microbial population and dry matter recovery were evaluated in marandu grass silages containing different levels of Stylo legume cv. Campo Grande treated or not with microbial inoculant. A 4 × 2 factorial arrangement (four levels of Stylo legume, with and without microbial inoculant) was used in a completely randomized design with four replications. The levels of Stylo legume used were 0, 10, 20 and 30% of the weight in the natural matter. The marandu grass was harvested at 70 days of regrowth and the Stylo legume at the pre-flowering stage. It was observed the effect of interaction between levels of Stylo legume and microbial inoculant on dry matter content, effluent losses, dry matter recovery and yeast and molds populations. The dry matter content of the silages with and without inoculant increased (P < 0.05) linearly with the addition of Stylo legume. A linear decreasing effect was observed for neutral detergent fiber contents and a linear crescent effect for the crude protein contents of the silages with addition of Stylo legume. The pH values had a quadratic effect with addition of Stylo legume, with a maximum value of 4.16 in the inclusion of 12.25% of Stylo legume. The LAB population increased linearly with an increase in the levels of Stylo legume. The dry matter recovery increased linearly with the addition of Stylo legume, in the silages without inoculant. It is concluded that the consortium of marandu grass with Stylo legume improves the chemical composition, fermentation profile, and decrease the dry matter losses of the silages, regardless of the use of microbial inoculant.

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