ADAPTABILITY AND STABILITY OF MAIZE CULTIVARS USED FOR SILAGE IN DAIRY REGIONS OF THE GOIÁS STATE, BRAZIL

During the dry season the amount of forage in pastures become insufficient and additional roughage is made necessary. Corn silage is one of the best options for supplementing roughage in this period. The objective of this research was to verify, in three regions of Goiás State, Brazil, the productive behavior of some silage corn hybrids. Nine corn hybrids from different seed producing companies were evaluated. The trials were carried out in two consecutive years (2002/2003 and 2003/2004 growing seasons) in Morrinhos, Ipameri, and Senador Canedo dairy regions. The randomized block design with three replications and a plot with two lines 8.0m long was used in all trials. Significant differences were observed between treatments for most of the regions regarding dry matter productivity and silage milk production potential. The marked hybrid x region interaction for both traits evidences that hybrid recommendation must be based on local recommendation. Altogether, Valent and Tork hybrids showed the most stable behavior as related to silage potential for milk production. KEY-WORDS: Roughage; supplementation; Zea mays.