title: Nutritional value of sugarcane silage enriched with corn grain, urea, and minerals as feed supplement on growth performance of beef steers grazing stargrass.
abstract: The objectives were to evaluate the silage quality of sugarcane silage enriched (as fed) with corn grain ground (10%), urea (1.5%), and mineral premix (0.5%) and its effects as a feed supplement on growth performance of beef steers grazing stargrass. Firstly, in micro-silages, whole sugarcane enriched with corn grain, urea, and minerals (WSCE) were ensilaged by 0, 20, 40, and 60 days. Crude protein (CP) and lactic acid (LA) increased linearly (P < 0.05) and true protein decreased linearly (P < 0.05) as fermentation time increased. The pH values in silages were affected quadratically by fermentation time. Thus, after a 20-day fermentation, the pH values were below 4.5. Secondly, in micro-silos WSCE and stem sugarcane enriched with corn grain, urea, and minerals (SSCE) with and without calcium propionate were ensilaged by 30 days, but it did not affect any chemical composition trait in the silage. The SCCE silages had higher CP and LA and lower pH than WSCE silages. Finally, for 120 days, 20 beef steers (378 ± 33 kg initial BW) grazing stargrass were supplemented (daily by 1-h free access) with WSCE silage. Supplemental silage increased total dry matter intake, total gain, and the average daily gain, without any affectation on feed conversion and total tract digestion of dry matter. It is concluded that whole sugarcane silage is an alternative feed supplement to improve growth performance in beef steers grazing stargrass.
authors: División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, km 25 Villahermosa-Teapa, Tabasco, Mexico.
authors: Armando
authors: A
authors: Gómez-Vázquez
authors: Juan Manuel
authors: JM
authors: Pinos-Rodríguez
authors: Juan Carlos
authors: JC
authors: García-López
authors: Efrain
authors: E
authors: de la Cruz-Lázaro
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Luna-Palomera
authors: Rufo
authors: R
authors: Sánchez-Hernández
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D005285:Fermentation; D005527:Food, Fortified / Q000032:analysis*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D031786:Saccharum / Q000737:chemistry*; D012820:Silage / Q000032:analysis*; D013997:Time Factors; D014131:Trace Elements; D014508:Urea; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D014508:Urea