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Comparative Feeding Value of Silage Made from Sweet and Dual Purpose Varieties of Sorghum

University of California, Davis

Abstract

Two barley replacement feeding trials and a digestion trial were conducted with beef calves to compare silage made from sweet or hybrid forage sorghum varieties. In one trial differences in gains, silage consumption and barley replacement values were not significant when the intermediate variety FS22 was compared to the sweet forage variety Brawley. The second trial compared Brawley and FSla, another hybrid forage type. The digestion trial did not indicate a difference in the digestible energy content of the two varieties. Daily gains, however, were significantly greater for the calves receiving silage made from the sweet forage sorghum. The barley replacement value also indicated the variety Brawley to be superior to FSla. Fermentation dry matter losses on ensiling as determined by the buried bag technique averaged about 4% for each variety. These results suggest that some sweet forage varieties of sorghum when made into silage may be at least as valuable a feed for growing beef cattle as a hybrid forage type containing a higher ratio of grain to forage.

¹ Department of Animal Husbandry.

² Department of Agronomy, El Centro.