Effects of Sorghum Hybrid and Grain Supplementation of Silage-Based Diets on Nutrient Digestibilities and Passage Rates and Ruminal Metabolism in Growing Steers

Six medium-framed steers, fitted with ruminal cannulas, were utilized in a $6{\times}6$ Latin square design with a $3{\times}2$ arrangement of treatments to determine the effects of sorghum hybrid and grain supplementation on nutrient digestibilities and passage rates and ruminal metabolism of silage-based diets fed to growing steers. The diets consisted of three wholes-plant silages (a high grain-containing, grain sorghum and middle-season, moderate grain-containing, and late-season, low grain-containing forage sorghums), each fed with or without 25% rolled grain sorghum. No significant interactions occurred between sorghum hybrid and grain supplementation for the digestion or passage rate criteria measured. Ruminal butyrate concentration was the only fermentation characteristic affected by a hybrid ${\times}$ grain supplementation interaction. The grain sorghum silage diets had the highest DM, OM, and ADF digestibilities; the late-season silage diets, the lowest. Digestibility of NDF tended to be highest (p < 0.10) for the grain sorghum silage, whereas starch digestibility was not affected by sorghum hybrid. Ruminal ammonia, acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total VFA concentrations were highest for the grain sorghum silage diets. Grain supplementation increased DM and OM digestibilities, but had no effect on digestibilities of NDF, ADF, and starch. Ruminal pH was decreased, but total VFA concentration and acetate : propionate ratio were not affected by grain supplementation.