Aerobic stability and degradability of maniçoba (<i>Manihot</i> sp.) silage

Abstract

The work aimed to evaluate aerobic stability and ruminal degradation of maniçoba silage. The aerobic stability was determined through the production of carbonic gas (CO₂), dosed to one, three, six, nine and twelve days of exposition to the air, being accomplished the chemical analysis in the remaining  silage of these periods. It was observed that CO₂ production increased with exposition to air, possibly due the use of soluble carbohydrate and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Ruminal degradability was accomplished with the exposed silage to air for zero, six and twelve days, and in the residues, the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and NDF were determined for the exposition of potential (PD) and effective (ED) degradability. The exposition to air influenced the ED of DM, with smaller values for exposed silage for six days, and the ED of NDF, and not exposed silage presented better values, confirming the use of NDF in the CO₂ production. The maniçoba silage presents low speed of aerobic deterioration, with low carbonic gas production up to twelve days of exposition to the air.