Shortages of feed resources often impose major constraints on the development of animal production in the tropics and sub-tropics. Considerable quantities of crop residues and agro - industrial by products are generated every year in most developing countries. Forage crops must have particular features to warrant their use in animal production and feeding systems. These are related to seasonality of yield and product quality (Wilkins, 2000). Silage crops can provide forage of high nutritive value and high yields per unit of land are desirable to diversify crop rotations and to allow production changes, which may improve yields for livestock. Sunflower (Helianthus annus, L.) is mostly grown for seed oil production where the seeds represent only about one third of the total dry matter content of the crop ranging from 3 to 4 ton ha -1. Reports on the chemical composition of sunflower silage suggested that total digestible nutrients of sunflower were two-thirds of that of corn silage. These characteristics of sunflower show its great potential so as to include it as a forage crop. Sunflower is grown in Uruguay for seed oil production (approximately 150000 ha) showing great potential to be include in animal production systems as an alternative silage crop. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the nutritive value of sunflower as whole crop silage.