Qualitative evaluation of Moringa silage (Moringa oleifera Lamark) combined with sugarcane and microprocessed lime

• Grant number: 19/03338-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2019
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Pastures and Forage Crops
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Prudêncio de Campos
• Grantee: Fábio Prudêncio de Campos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Zootecnia. Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Nova Odessa , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Adibe Luiz Abdalla ; Alessandra Aparecida Giacomini ; César Gonçalves de Lima ; Ricardo Lopes Dias da Costa

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to analyze the fermentation process of the Moringa tree planting (Moringa oleifera Lamark) with sugarcane in the silage process, treated or not with microprocessed lime, as well as to evaluate the nutritional quality and digestibility of the fermented product for nutrition of ruminants. Moringa's cultivation has been established in the area since 2018. They come from commercial cultivars and were already inserted in an area designed for integrated systems, whose infrastructure project was approved by FAPESP / PDIP process 2017 / 50339-5. A total of 114 Moringa plants, cultivated in lines with a distance of 50 cm between plants, were separated into two groups with a distance of 26.5 m, with 57 plants per group. All plants will be harvested, preferably in the period of water, which present height with about 1.70 m of vegetative growth and will cut it at 30 cm from the soil level. The plants harvested will be weighed to estimate the mass of fodder produced in the period. After cutting the plant, the mass of forage harvested will be chopped in a stationary chopper with an average particle size of 1.0 to 1.5 cm, will be distributed on plastic canvas, in which one part will be pre-mixed with the micro- processed in the proportions of 10% of fresh fodder mass. For cane, the cultivar chosen will be IAC 86-2480, based on forage characteristics. They will be harvested with about ten months of vegetative growth, chopped and premixed a part of the fodder mass as the moringa. The proportion of the moringa and sugarcane in the mixture will obey the different treatments. The mixtures will be conditioned in experimental silos, 9.8 cm × 20.0 cm PVC pipe with lid, with a capacity of approximately 2.0 kg of material. After compaction and sealing will be conditioned in a covered place, at room temperature, for a minimum period of 60 days of fermentation. During the ensiling procedure, fresh material will be sampled for later laboratory analysis and for comparative evaluation with the ensiled material, thus determining the quality of the food from the storage technique used. The treatments will be established based on the dry matter: T1, 75% of sugarcane + 25% of Moringa, T2, 50% of sugarcane + 50% of Moringa, T3, 75% of cane Moringa + CaO, T4, 50% of sugarcane + 50% of Moringa + CaO, T5, 100% of sugarcane, T6, 100% of sugarcane + CaO, T7, 100% Moringa, T8, 100% Moringa + CaO. The statistical design to be performed will be the completely randomized, with eight treatments and six replicates. They will be arranged in a 2 × 1 factorial scheme (two fodder sources and a microprocessed lime source). The variables to be evaluated are: pH, effluent losses, gas losses, ammoniacal nitrogen, volatile fatty acids, lactic acid, aerobic stability, gas volume typification and quantification, as well as DM, CP, EE, Ash, non-fibrous carbohydrates, insoluble protein in a neutral detergent (INPND) and acid (INPAD) and in vitro digestibility / gas (solid fraction of gas volume and analysis of the degradation curves), and the estimated total digestible nutrients (TDN. As well as subjective visual characteristics (color and fungi), smell (acid, sweet or fetid). As a criterion for the characterization of the Moringa plant will be evaluated the yields of dry mass, relation leaf: stem and shoots after cuts, with measures repeated in time. The measured variables will be analyzed by the ANOVA of the Proc Mixed of the SAS (2011) and by Tukey's average test when they present normal distribution. Or, this data will be transformed to that when necessary, adopting a significance level of 5% probability. The subjective variables will be evaluated by non-parametric tests. (AU)