Evaluation of Silage Fresh Odot Grass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott) as Ruminant Feed

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different types and levels of absorbents—milled rice husk, rice bran, and pollard—on the nutritional quality, pH value, and digestibility of odot grass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott) silage. Study Design:  The study employed a completely randomized design with three treatment levels of absorbent additions (12.5%, 22%, and 32.4%) for each type of absorbent, with five replications per treatment. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted over a period of two months at the Sumber Sekar Field Laboratory, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Brawijaya University, Malang, East Java. Laboratory analyses were carried out at the Batu Training Center (BBPP) and the Animal Nutrition and Feed Laboratory of the same faculty. Methodology: Fresh chopped odot grass with up to 80% moisture content was mixed with absorbents (milled rice husk, rice bran, or pollard) at varying levels, combined with 5% molasses, then ensiled. The target moisture contents were 30%, 35%, and 40%. After obtaining the treatment with the best pH value at P3 with the addition of 32.4% absorbent. The highest absorbent level (32.4%) from each treatment was analyzed for nutrient content and best pH value to continue in vitro digestibility (dry matter digestibility—DMD and organic matter digestibility—OMD) tests. Results: The lowest pH value was obtained at P3 (32.4% addition) with an average of 3.7 and then tested digestibility value. The addition of 32.4% pollard produced the highest digestibility values, with DMD at 76.65% and OMD at 62.62%, significantly outperforming husk and rice bran treatments (P < 0.01). This improvement was attributed to pollard’s lower crude fiber and higher protein content, which enhance rumen microbial activity. Nutrsed with higher absorbent levels. Conclusion: The type and level of absorbents significantly affected odot grass silage quality. The use of 32.4% husks as absorbant can make the lowest pH value of odo grass silage at 3.54. But the use of 32.4% pollard was found to be the most effective strategy to improve fermentation, and enhance silage digestibility, making it a practical approach to ensure a consistent, high-quality ruminant feed supply year-round.