The silage, sugar cane is a tool that can be used to meet the deficiency of food in the dry year and the addition of microbial silage additives can improve the fermentation and consequently, its food value. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the fresh sugar cane utilization or preserved as silage, with or without microbial addictive, as well as verify the influence of burning sugar cane used in diet crossbred dairy cows on intake and digestibility nutrients, production, milk composition. The animals were divided in a 5x5 latin square to evaluate the effects of fresh cane and four types of cane silage; cane without Lactobacillus buchneri (SCSI); cane with L.buchneri (SCCI); burned cane without L. buchneri (SCQSI); burned cane with L. buchneri (SCQCI). The fresh cane promotes higher dry matter intake and non-fibrous carbohydrates compared with silages. The burning of sugar cane and conservation as silage, with or without microbial additive does not alter the intake and digestibility of nutrients from animals. The use of cane ensilage without bacterial addictive provides lower milk production and crude protein when compared with the other treatments. It is recommended the use of fresh cane for providing animal better performance.
cows; Lactobacillus buchneri; milk production; saccharum officinarum