Características fermentativas da silagem de grão de milheto reidratado

The rehydration of grains for the fermentation process emerges as a viable alternative in reducing losses and improving nutritional utilization. This study aimed to evaluate the fermentative characteristics of pearl millet grain silage rehydrated with forage cactus pulp as a moisture source. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications, evaluating five silo opening times. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance, and means were compared using the Tukey test at a 5% probability level employing the SAS statistical software. The values of pH, dry matter recovery (DMR), and silo temperature showed no significant differences. Conversely, the variables silo mass, ensiled mass, ambient temperature, dry matter content (DM), density, and effluent losses (EL) showed significant differences. Nevertheless, the observed fermentative conditions were not considered ideal, indicating that the silage produced is unsuitable for use in animal feeding.