A completely randomized design with seven treatments and six replicates per treatment was conducted to study the effect of three commercial biological additives (B, C and D), in two concentrations (manufacturer’s recommended dose - concentration 1 or double dose -concentration 2) on pH and chemical composition of elephantgrass (var. Napier) silage. A lower pH (P<0.05) was observed in silage with additive B at concentrations 1 (pH=3.73) and concentration 2 (pH=4.07), when compared to the control treatment (pH=5.01). Silage dry matter (%) increased (P<0.05) with the use of additive B at concentrations 1 and 2 (29.9% and 31.3 %, respectively) and additives C and D at concentration 2 (26.8% and 25.7%, respectively) in comparison to the control treatment (24.0%). Silage with additive B had higher crude protein levels than the control treatment (6.6%) at concentrations 1 (13.4%) and 2 (12.1%). Lignin and neutral detergent fiber levels were lower (P<0.05) for treatments with additive B. The use of doble level of additive B did not increase its efficiency. All additives increased calcium concentration, but not phosphorus concentration. These results indicated that additive B (Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidilactici) improved elephantgrass silage fermentation process and its nutritional value. Increasing commercial biological additives above the manufacturer’s recommended level did not improve (P<0.05) silage quality.
additive; elephantgrass; silage; nutritional value
