Production of Brachiaria decumbens silage

Abstract

The seasonality of mass production of green grass between seasons of high and low rainfall determines an uneven distribution of production throughout the year. In this reality, the preservation of forage by ensiling is one of the most attractive and cost used to maintain sustainability in animal production system. The preservation of food through the silage due to the production of organic acids, mainly lactic acid from sugars and it decreases the pH and, consequently, inhibition of undesirable microorganisms deleterious. Therefore, the use of the surplus production of grasses during good times as silage has to be seen in a technical way, because the high moisture content and low concentration of soluble carbohydrates encourage the growth of undesirable microorganisms, which result in losses nutrients.