Cottonseed cake and Weissella cibaria as additives for sugarcane silage

The objective of this study was to evaluate the fermentative and microbial profiles, chemical composition, aerobic stability, and dry matter losses in sugarcane silages supplemented with cottonseed cake (CSC) and Weissella cibaria (WC). The experiment was designed as a completely randomised design in a 4 × 2 factorial scheme with four replications. The treatments included: (1) sugarcane silage (control), (2) S + 20% CSC (on a fresh matter basis), (3) S + WC, and (4) Combo (S + CSC + WC), evaluated at two opening times (60 and 240 days). An interaction between the additives and opening time was observed for pH, with higher values recorded in S + CSC and Combo silages (P < 0.05). Ethanol content was significantly lower in S + CSC silages (P < 0.05). Yeast activity was higher in S + WC silages compared to the other treatments (P < 0.05). Dry matter recovery was highest in S + CSC and Combo silages (920 g/kg), followed by S + WC (850 g/kg) and the control silage (630 g/kg) (P < 0.05). The inclusion of CSC increased dry matter recovery, and improved nutritive value of silages.