Background:

Production of heart-of-palm from Alexander palm tree generates a waste that could be used as silage for feeding ruminants.

Objective:

To evaluate the chemical composition, fermentation parameters, and quality of silage made from waste of heart-of-palm production using Alexander palm.

Methods:

Three types of silage made from waste of heart-of-palm production were evaluated: 1) leaf silage, 2) sheath silage, and 3) compound (leaf + sheath) silage. The processed waste was packed in experimental silos and distributed in a completely randomized design with 10 replications. Means were compared pairwise using Tukey’s test at the 5% significance level.

Results:

Leaf silage had the highest pH (p<0.05) and the lowest ammonia nitrogen (p<0.05) in relation to the other silages. No difference was observed (p>0.05) for lactic and butyric acids, whereas acetic acid was higher (p<0.05) in the sheath and compound silages. Dry matter and crude protein contents were the highest (p<0.05) in leaf silage. Neutral detergent fiber was higher (p<0.05) in sheath silage, followed by leaf and compound silages, respectively. The highest lignin content (p<0.05) was observed in sheath silage.

Conclusions:

Based on the fermentative parameters, waste from heart-of-palm from Alexander palm tree has potential for silage production. However, differences in silage composition at the time of feeding ruminants should be considered.

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