Fermentation and nutritional characteristics of silage composed of proportions of Tithonia diversifolia and Sorghum bicolor

ABSTRACT The determination of the ideal proportion of Mexican sunflower in sorghum silage is essential for evaluating the nutritional value and quality of the feed, ensuring a balanced diet, better utilization by animals, and greater efficiency in livestock production. This experiment aimed to evaluate the replacement of sorghum with Mexican sunflower regarding fermentation parameters, microbial population, and chemical composition of the silage. The experimental design was a randomized block design with five treatments and five repetitions. A total of 25 experimental silos made of polyvinyl chloride tubes with a density of 600 kg m-3 were used. The silos were opened 365 days after ensiling. Mexican sunflower efficiently replaced sorghum and improved the fermentation process quality, reducing losses in both dry matter (85%) and ethanol fermentation (86%). Mexican sunflower silage increased the protein content of the ensiled mass by 50% compared to sorghum silage, which was associated with low losses of ammoniacal nitrogen. The use of Mexican sunflower in all evaluated proportions improved fermentation variables and the final quality of sorghum silages.