El ensilaje y henolaje como estrategia de conservación de forraje para la alimentación bovina en época de sequía o presencia de ceniza volcánica.

Abstract

This work determines the potential of silage and haymaking with different forage conservation techniques for cattle feed and its use in times of drought and in the presence of volcanic ash. At present, the environment has been affected by different changes of natural origin that cause severe damage to agriculture and, consequently, insufficient animal feed. The research begins with the bibliographic compilation of sources of scientific information in both printed and digital media such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Redalyc, SciELO. For the systematization of the information, the general aspects of forage, especially silage and haymaking, are identified. Consequently, a comparison was made with the different authors, and descriptive statistics were used to compile the information. The results show the importance of these processes as a feeding option for cattle in times of austerity since, from the perspective of the research regarding the nutritional value of silage, the optimal range of dry matter is 87-92%, crude protein 19-22%, and fiber 42-48. Meanwhile, silage has a 32-35% dry matter composition, pH of 4.17-4.33, and fiber of 34-38%. Regarding daily feed consumption, an average of 16-18 kg/day of silage and 9-14 kg/day of haylage was determined for cattle production; cows consume 7-9 kg/day of silage and 5-7 kg/day of haylage. Finally, it was determined that the cost of producing one kilo of silage is $0.22 and haylage $0.29, which are affordable costs for farmers. It is recommended to have forage reserves and energy supplements to cover the periods of austerity that occur throughout the year.