Efeitos da adição de batata na silagem de capim-elefante sobre o consumo e a produção em vacas leiteiras

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate production and composition of milk from cows fed silages containing potato. Twelve females were selected: nine between 50 and 70 months of age and three between 36 and 42 months of age, lactating, with approximate weight of 550 kg. The experimental design consisted of 12 cows in three 4 × 4 Latin Squares, with four experimental periods and four treatments: silages of corn (CS); elephant grass (ES); elephant grass activated with 7% potato residue (ES7%) and elephant grass activated with 14% potato residue (ES14%). The animals submitted to the diets with the silages CS, ES 14% and ES 7% presented greater ingestions of DM than those that ingested diets based on silage of pure elephant grass. Supply of diet of elephant grass silage with addition of 14% potato residue presented greater production of milk and milk corrected for 3.5% fat, kg of fat, kg of protein, kg of total solids, kg of degreased dry extract and kg of lactose compared with the addition of 7% potato. The corn silage was superior to the others in production of milk, kg of protein, kg of degreased dry extract (DDE) and kg of lactose. Elephant grass silage presented smaller production than the other silages for kg of DDE and lactose. There was no difference between treatments for fat contents, protein, total solids, DDE, lactose, or milk urea-N (mg/dL). The addition of 14% of potato residue in the elephant grass silage improves ingestion of DM and production of milk.