Quality of hybrid sorghum silage with different tannin concentrations and stem moisture contents

The present study was carried out in order to evaluate fermentation patterns and other parameters in four hybrids forage sorghum with different tannin concentrations and stem moisture contents. Four hybrids (H1 = moist stem/high tannin, H2 = dry stem/low tannin, H3 = dry stem/high tannin, H4 = moist stem/low tannin) were ensiled in silos made of PVC tubes, which were opened after 56 days. Dry matter content (DM), dry matter losses, pH, alcohol soluble carbohydrates (ASC), starch, crude protein (CP). ammonia nitrogen (N-NH3), tannin, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), cellulose and lignin, lactic acid (LA) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were determined. Data were evaluated by analysis of variance, with mean separation achieved using SNK statistical test. DM was not associated with moist stem. Starch and CP did not change among hybrids. The N-NH3 production were lower in sorghums with high tannin concentrations. There were no significant effects of tannin and moist stem on NDF, ADF and VFA values. All silages showed good fermentation patterns, although the LA production was low.