Sw. Nichols et al., EFFECTS OF FIBER FROM TROPICAL CORN AND FORAGE SORGHUM SILAGES ON INTAKE, DIGESTION, AND PERFORMANCE OF LACTATING DAIRY-COWS, Journal of dairy science, 81(9), 1998, pp. 2383-2393
Tropical corn silage was compared with sorghum silage as a basal forag
e in the diets of high producing dairy cows. Sorghum and tropical corn
silages were each included in place of ground corn at incremental con
centrations in the experimental diets. Eight separate diets were fed,
four diets containing each silage ranging in forage neutral detergent
fiber (NDF) from approximately 25 to 31% and ranging in total NDF from
approximately 41 to 45%. Diets were arranged in a 2 x 4 factorial des
ign and were fed to lactating cows (n = 24; pretrial mean milk product
ion = 39 kg/d; body weight = 656 kg; and days in milk = 81). As concen
trations of dietary NDF increased, intake and milk production decrease
d linearly. The impact of dietary NDF on intake was greater for diets
based on tropical corn silage than for diets based on sorghum silage.
Energy intake and milk production were reduced, but cows consumed more
fiber when challenged with higher dietary concentrations of fiber. Th
e in vitro rate and extent of digestion of dietary samples were correl
ated with intake response. The rate of in vitro fiber digestion was sl
ower for samples that contained tropical corn silage than for samples
that contained sorghum silage. In vivo digestibility measurements were
influenced by intake and dietary composition. Results of this trial i
ndicated that sorghum silage can have equal or slightly greater nutrit
ional value than tropical corn silage when these forages are fed at eq
ual concentrations of dietary fiber.