The objective of this study was to evaluate the dry and fresh matter yield, height of ear insertion, number of ears per plant, plant height and the ear stem^-1 leaf^-1 ratio of six maize varieties recommended for the Brazilian semi-arid region (BR 5033 - Asa Branca, BR 5028 - São Francisco, BRS 4103, BRS Caatingueiro, BRS Assum Preto and Gurutuba) aiming at silage production. The experiment was carried out at Embrapa Semi-Arid, in a completely randomized design with six treatments and four replications. The varieties Gurutuba and BRS 4103 achieved the highest yields of fresh forage (38.7 and 40.0 t ha^-1). These two varieties and BR 5028 - São Francisco showed the highest dry matter yield (16.0, 16.5 and 15.8 t ha ^-1, respectively). However, the variety BRS Caatingueiro presented a higher number of ears per plant (1.6) than those of the other varieties. Among the materials evaluated for silage production in the Submédio São Francisco river Valley, Gurutuba, BR 5028 - São Francisco and BRS 4103 stood out. The results obtained for dry matter production (t ha^-1) and number of ears per plant, as well as the ear stem^-1 leaf ^-1 ratio, indicate the possibility of using the evaluated varieties for silage production in the Brazilian semi-arid.