ENSILAGE OF TROPICAL GRASSES MIXED WITH LEGUMES AND MOLASSES

The effects of adding two legumes, Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leuc ocephala, cv. Cunningham, and molasses on the fermentation characteris tics of silages made from two tropical grasses (Pangola grass, Digitar ia decumbens, and Setaria sphacelata cv. Kazungula) were investigated. Pangola grass silages contained significantly higher contents of wate r-soluble carbohydrates and lactic acid than did setaria silages after 100 days fermentation, but there were no significant differences betw een the two silages in populations of lactic acid bacteria and content s of total N and NH3-N. Addition of either species of legume had no si gnificant effect on fermentation acids and NH3-N contents, and numbers of lactic acid bacteria. Addition of both legumes reduced NH3-N produ ction in the silages by 59% after 5 days' fermentation. Numbers of lac tic acid bacteria were not significantly affected by the different tre atments. Enterococcus faecalis represented 60% of the lactic acid bact eria isolated from the treated herbages prior to ensiling. By 100 days of fermentation, only lactobacilli were isolated: 82% homo-fermenters and 18% hetero-fermenters. Lactobacillus mesenteroides subsp. dextran icum was found only in the silage supplemented with 33% (w/w) legume. It was concluded that the low quality of tropical grasses used as feed s for ruminants may be significantly improved by ensiling these grasse s with small amounts of molasses and with high-protein tree leaves.