Quality of elephantgrass silage (Pennisetum purpureum Schuni.) wilted or adding cassava meal

Silage evaluation of elephantgrass cv. Taiwan A-146 was done at Faculdade do Medicina Veterinaria e Zooteenia-UNESP-Botucatu. Six treatments were used with four replications as follows: A - elephantgrass with eight hours of wilting under the sun; B - elephantgrass; C - elephantgrass (98%) plus cassava meal (2%); D - elephantgrass (96%) plus cassava meal (4%); E-elephantgrass (92%) plus cassava meal (8%); F - elephantgrass (88%) plus cassava meal (12%). The efficiency meal (12%) was greater than wilting in increasing total dry matter content. The addition of cassava led to a linear decrease in CP, OM, NDF and hemicellulose content, at the same time it increased the NFE, ASH and soluble carbohidrates contents of silages, The low levels of lactic acid showed that cassava meal was not very well processed by lactobacillus. No significant differences were observed among the acetic, propionic, butiric and lactic acid percentages of silages.