Nutritional composition of corn silage produced in different regions of the State of Paraná between 2020 and 2022

The study aimed to evaluate the nutritional composition of whole-plant corn silages produced in different geographic regions in the State of Paraná between 2020 and 2022. A database with 49 reports of chemical analysis of silage samples collected from 34 dairy cattle farms technically assisted by the Cooperativa de Trabalho e Extensão Rural (COOPERMAIS) was used. The farms are located in the Central-South, West, and Northwest meso-regions of Paraná. Due to intraregional geographic differences, the farms in the West region were grouped into three sub-regions: West-South, West-Central, and West-North. Silages with the highest ether extract content, lowest ash content, and highest total digestible nutrient (TDN) content were produced in the Northwest region. Silages produced in 2020 and 2022 had similar nutritional composition, while those produced in 2021 had lower TDN content. The whole-plant corn silage produced in the Northwest of Paraná has a better nutritional composition, which may be related to the higher proportion of grains at the time of ensiling. Rainfall and the occurrence of frost are climatic factors that affect the energy content of silages produced in the State of Paraná.