Transforming sugarcane into nutritious silage with bioluminescent additives

Unlock Your Farm's Potential: Transform Sugarcane with These Simple Additives

Soraya Malik in Science & Nature August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Maximize sugarcane silage quality with Lactobacillus, urea, and smart agricultural byproducts for healthier livestock."

Cattle rearing in Brazil relies heavily on pastures, an economical choice for feeding bovines. However, the dry season brings insufficient forage, making sugarcane a crucial roughage supplement. Known for its high production, sugarcane stands out among forage grasses, yielding 60 to 120 fresh integral tons per hectare and maintaining energy potential during arid periods. Yet, there is a need to improve the nutrition value through proper ensiling and additives.

Sugarcane ensilage streamlines operations and reduces labor by consolidating activities during the forage's peak nutritional value. Despite these advantages, sugarcane ensilage often undergoes alcoholic fermentation due to high soluble carbohydrate levels. This process leads to significant fermentation losses, highlighting the need for additives to inhibit fungi, yeast, and ethanol production. Additives like heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus buchneri and chemical agents are essential for minimizing these losses and optimizing sugarcane's nutritional profile.

Sugarcane's nutritional limitations, particularly its low crude protein content, can be mitigated by adding urea. Furthermore, incorporating carbohydrate sources such as soybean hulls and cassava byproduct can reduce effluent production and boost the silage's nutritive value. This approach enhances the overall quality and digestibility of sugarcane silage, contributing to healthier livestock.

Revolutionizing Sugarcane Silage: The Power of Additives

Transforming sugarcane into nutritious silage with bioluminescent additives

A study published in the Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia explored the impact of various additives on sugarcane silage. The research aimed to evaluate chemical composition, fermentation, in vitro digestibility, and in situ degradability using Lactobacillus, urea, and agricultural byproducts. Treatments included control silage, silage with 3.3% urea, silage with Lactobacillus buchneri, silage with both inoculate and urea, silage with inoculate and 25.0% soybean hull, and silage with inoculate and 25.0% cassava byproduct meal. The sugarcane variety used was RB-855156, known for its precocity.

The results indicated that urea increased protein levels while reducing neutral and acid detergent fiber and lignin fractions. Combinations of inoculate with cassava byproduct and soybean hull increased dry matter levels. Notably, bovines exhibited higher in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDDM) than buffaloes, with pH values ranging from 3.1 to 4.0. Treatments with inoculate plus cassava and soybean hulls significantly enhanced aerobic stability, extending it to 61 and 81 hours, respectively, compared to control silages.

Urea Boost: Increased protein content and reduced fiber fractions.
Enhanced Digestibility: Bovines showed higher IVDDM.
Extended Aerobic Stability: Inoculate with cassava and soybean hulls improved stability.
Quality Pattern: Additives improved the overall silage quality.

Moreover, silages treated with inoculate plus control and inoculate plus soybean hulls showed higher dry matter effective degradability at a 2%/h passage rate. The study underscores the significant benefits of using urea, L. buchneri, and agricultural byproducts in sugarcane silage to achieve a better quality pattern. These enhancements lead to more nutritious feed, improving livestock health and productivity. The integration of these additives not only addresses the nutritional deficiencies of sugarcane but also optimizes its fermentation process, ensuring minimal losses and maximum digestibility.

Elevate Your Livestock Feed Strategy

By incorporating these innovative approaches, farmers can transform sugarcane into a highly nutritious and efficient feed source. The strategic use of Lactobacillus, urea, and agricultural byproducts not only optimizes the fermentation process but also enhances the overall nutritional value, ensuring healthier and more productive livestock. This study offers a practical pathway to maximizing the potential of sugarcane silage.

About this Article -

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1590/s1516-35982011001200034, Alternate LINK

Title: Chemical Composition, Fermentation, In Vitro Digestibility And In Situ Degradability Of Sugar Cane Silages With Lactobacillus, Urea And Agricultural Byproduct

Subject: Animal Science and Zoology

Journal: Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia

Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)

Authors: Emilyn Midori Maeda, Lucia Maria Zeoula, Clóves Cabreira Jobim, Franciele Bertaglia, Roberto Cornelis Jonker, Luiz Juliano Valério Geron, Douglas Sampaio Henrique

Published: 2011-12-01

Everything You Need To Know

Why are additives necessary when creating sugarcane silage, and what specific problems do they address?

Sugarcane silage often undergoes alcoholic fermentation due to its high soluble carbohydrate levels, leading to significant fermentation losses. Additives are needed to inhibit fungi, yeast, and ethanol production. Heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus buchneri and chemical agents, such as urea, are essential for minimizing these losses and optimizing sugarcane's nutritional profile. These are critical for ensuring the feed retains nutritional value, which would be lost in simple fermentation.

How does adding urea and carbohydrate sources like soybean hulls improve the nutritional value of sugarcane silage?

Incorporating urea into sugarcane silage addresses sugarcane's low crude protein content, enhancing its nutritional value. Adding carbohydrate sources like soybean hulls and cassava byproduct can reduce effluent production and further boost the silage's nutritive value. This enhances the digestibility and overall quality of the silage, leading to healthier livestock. The increased protein from urea acts as a direct nutritional enhancement, while the additional carbohydrate sources balance the fermentation process.

What sugarcane variety was used in the Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia study, and why was this particular variety chosen?

The study published in the Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia used the sugarcane variety RB-855156. This variety is known for its precocity, which means it matures relatively early. It was chosen to evaluate the impact of additives like Lactobacillus, urea, and agricultural byproducts on sugarcane silage. Utilizing a specific variety like RB-855156 allows researchers to control for genetic variability and ensure consistent results when assessing the effects of different silage treatments.

How do cassava and soybean hulls improve the aerobic stability of sugarcane silage, and why is this important?

The study showed that using inoculate with cassava byproduct and soybean hulls significantly enhanced aerobic stability, extending it to 61 and 81 hours, respectively, compared to control silages. This means that the silage remained stable for a longer period when exposed to air, reducing spoilage and preserving its nutritional value. Aerobic stability is crucial for maintaining silage quality during feedout, preventing losses due to heating and mold growth. These improvements in aerobic stability directly translate to reduced waste and better feed utilization on the farm.

The study mentions differences in in vitro digestibility between bovines and buffaloes. What does this difference suggest, and what factors might explain it?

The study demonstrated that bovines exhibited higher in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDDM) compared to buffaloes when fed sugarcane silage. This suggests that cattle are more efficient at extracting nutrients from sugarcane silage than buffaloes. While the data clearly indicates higher IVDDM in bovines, it doesn't fully explain the underlying physiological reasons for this difference. Further research might explore variations in digestive systems or microbial populations in the rumen of bovines versus buffaloes to provide a more comprehensive understanding.