Balance Between Mineral Enrichment and Losses in Elephant Grass Silages With Inclusion of Forage Peanut

Improving the mineral profile of conserved forages is essential for ruminant nutrition, particularly when the association of grasses and legumes in silage composition is used as a strategy for mineral complementation between plant species. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of forage peanut inclusion on the mineral profile and mineral losses in elephant grass silages. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, with five levels of forage peanut inclusion (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% on a fresh matter basis) and three replications. After 60 days of fermentation, the silos were opened. The inclusion of forage peanut increased N and K contents ( p  < 0.05), rising from 6.32 to 13.62 g/kg and from 10.50 to 17.25 g/kg of dry matter, respectively, at the 80% inclusion level. Phosphorus content decreased ( p  = 0.026), ranging from 0.88 to 0.43 g/kg of DM. Sulfur showed a quadratic effect ( p  < 0.001), with a maximum estimated content of 1.34 g/kg at 39.39% inclusion. N and P losses increased with forage peanut inclusion ( p  < 0.05), reaching 22.31% and 50.12%, respectively, at the 80% level. PCA explained 89.23% of the total variance in the first two components. Inclusion levels of forage peanut between 40% and 60% optimize the mineral profile and reduce fermentative losses in elephant grass silages.