Potato scrapings were mixed with elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum, Schum) in silage. Elephant grass was harvested manually on the 80th day after leveling mowing had been done at a height of 10 cm from the soil surface. The mixtures of elephant grass and potato scrapings were made in the in the following ratios of green matter: 100% and 0%; 93% and 7%; 86% and 14%; 79% and 21%; and 72% and 28% of grass and potato scrapings, respectively. The plants were chopped in 2-3 cm particles and ensiled for 30 days in 10 cm wide x 40 cm high "PVC" silos. The following variables of the silage were evaluated: percentage of dry matter (DM), pH values, loss of gases, and of efluent, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDDM). The experimental design used was the completely randomized with four repetitions. It was concluded that elephant grass silages added with potato scrapings exhibited higher percentages of DM and CP, higher values of pH, increase in the IVDDM, and a lower percentage of loss of gases, loss of effluent, NDF and ADF in dry matter with increasing levels of addition.
Silages; efluent; gases
