Comparation between maize and sorghum silage quality: A meta-analysis study

Abstract

Forage maize silage and sorghum silage might be comparable in terms of nutrient content, especially in fermentation quality. Many studies have been conducted on this matter, but no comprehensive analysis exists. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the nutrient content of both maize and sorghum silage through a meta-analysis method. A total of 190 articles relevant to the keyword were further selected until 17 scientific articles according to the determined criteria for this study. The articles were entered into the database. Hedges'g effect was used to measure the estimate with a 95% confidence interval (CI) using random-effects models. The results showed that the pH of forage sorghum silage was significantly (p<0.05, Estimate = 1.029, 95% CI = 0.404 to 1.653) higher than that of forage maize silage. And then, lactic acid (Estimate = -1.174, 95% CI = -1.797 to -0.551) and ammonia (Estimate = -3.180, 95% CI = -4.885 to -1.484) were significantly (p<0.05) lower than maize silage and no effect (P>0.05) in ammonia value. Based on this study, sorghum silage potentially a substitute for maize silage.