Nutrient content and in vitro dry matter digestibility of silages made from various grain sorghum and sweet sorghum cultivars

In the tropics, sorghum is an important grain and forage crop. However, information on silage made from various cultivars including nutrient content and digestibility for livestock is not available. Therefore, silages made from eleven grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) and ten sweet sorghum varieties were studied to determine the effect of sorghum variety and type on nutrient content and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). Silage samples were analyzed for Ca, P, Mg, K, Mg, crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), gross energy (GE), neutral-detergent fiber (NDF), acid-detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose, acid-detergent lignin (ADL) and IVDMD. Results from silage analysis revealed significant (P < 0.05) varietal differences in CP, Ca, P, Mg, It, Na, GE, ash, NDF, ADL, cellulose, hemicellulose contents and IVDMD among grain sorghum varieties. However, the silage values for EE and NDF contents were not significantly different. Similarly, sweet sorghum varieties were significantly different (P < 0.05) in all of the above variables. Among sorghums, grain sorghum silage had higher (P < 0.05) CP, Ca, P, K, Na and IVDMD and lower (P < 0.05) NDF, ADF, cellulose and GE than sweet sorghum silage.