A 98-day trial in 18 male Dorper-cross sheep found that ensiled Brachiaria decumbens improved protein and fibre digestibility, growth and most carcass measures versus fresh Napier grass or fresh B. decumbens, despite lower dry-matter intake, with no detected change in meat quality. Only six animals were studied per group.
Key findings
- Ensiled-grass sheep had higher apparent crude-protein, neutral-detergent-fibre and acid-detergent-fibre digestibility than both other groups (p
Why this matters globally
Ensiling may make a saponin-constrained tropical forage more useful, improving local-resource use and potentially reducing concentrate pressure. Farm-scale fermentation consistency, quality control and cost still need evaluation.
Thai researcher contribution
Ruangyote Pilajun of Ubon Ratchathani University is the Thai-affiliated co-author in a collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan. The experiment was conducted in the Malaysian research context, which should be distinguished from the Thai collaborative contribution.
Limitations to consider
Six animals per group, one sex and crossbreed, metabolic-cage housing and a 98-day duration limit generalisation to commercial herds, seasons and long-term use. Although the title highlights saponin reduction, the abstract does not provide detailed pre/post saponin values, so the full tables should be checked before citing them.