Ensiling characteristics, in vitro rumen fermentation and microbial communities and aerobic stability of low-dry matter silages produced with sweet sorghum and alfalfa mixtures (original) (raw)
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Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2012
The effect of silage additives on ensiling characteristics and nutritive value of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) silages was studied. Napier grass silages were made with no additive, fermented juice of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (FJLB), molasses or cassava meal. The ensiling characteristics were determined by ensiling Napier grass silages in airtight plastic pouches for 2, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 45 d. The effect of Napier grass silages treated with these additives on voluntary feed intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation and microbial rumen fermentation was determined in 4 fistulated cows using 44 Latin square design. The pH value of the treated silages rapidly decreased, and reached to the lowest value within 7 d of the start of fermentation, as compared to the control. Lactic acid content of silages treated with FJLB was stable at 14 d of fermentation and constant until 45 d of ensiling. At 45 d of ensiling, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of silage treated with cassava meal were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the others. In the feeding trial, the intake of silage increased (p<0.05) in the cow fed with the treated silage. Among the treatments, dry matter intake was the lowest in the silage treated with cassava meal. The organic matter, crude protein and NDF digestibility of the silage treated with molasses was higher than the silage without additive and the silage treated with FJLB. The rumen parameters: ruminal pH, ammonia-nitrogen (NH 3 -N), volatile fatty acid (VFA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and bacterial populations were not significantly different among the treatments. In conclusion, these studies confirmed that the applying of molasses improved fermentative quality, feed intake and digestibility of Napier grass. (
The Journal of Agricultural Science, 2004
To assess the effect of grassland management on the ruminal digestion of silages, four lactating dairy cows, fitted with a rumen cannula, were fed diets consisting of concentrates and different grass silages. The grass silages consisted of intensively managed grass (IM) in variable proportions replaced by silages harvested from a ' species-poor ' grassland managed to stimulate nesting of birds (SPP) or from a grassland managed to increase plant species diversity (SPR). The roughage part of the diets was composed completely of IM (100IM), or 200 g/kg (in dry matter) of IM replaced by SPP (20SPP) or 600 g/kg of IM replaced by SPP (60SPP), or SPR (60SPR). The pH in the rumen was highest on 60SPR and lowest on 100IM and 20SPP (P<0. 05), whereas volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentrations were lowest on 60SPP and 60SPR and highest on 100IM (P<0. 05). No differences in the ratio non-glucogenic :glucogenic volatile fatty acids were observed among the diets. The NH 3 concentration was highest on 100IM and 20SPP and lowest on 60SPR (P<0. 05), reflecting differences in CP intake. The concentration of uric acid in the urine (mg per kg metabolic body weight) was highest on 100IM (P<0. 05). Rumen pool size of OM and DM did not differ among treatments, but pool size of NDF and IADF were highest on 60SPR (P<0. 05). Passage rate was high on 100IM and 60SPR, but no significant differences with the other treatments were established. Also, no significant differences were observed in rates of degradation. Clearance rate of large particles was highest on 60SPP and differed significantly from 60SPR (P<0. 05) only. No differences were observed in clearance rate of small particles. In conclusion, for most rumen fermentation characteristics measured in the study, no noticeably aberrant behaviour of the silages from semi-natural grassland was observed.
Silage Additives Usage in Improving Fermentation Quality of Alfalfa Silage: A Review
Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Alfalfa is difficult to ensile due to its high protein content, low water-soluble carbohydrate level, low dry matter content, and high buffering capacity. Therefore, alfalfa has recently increased its efforts to make silage with additives. Silage additives have been used to enhancing the silage quality of alfalfa in recent years. This review covers research studies that have investigated the efficacy of silage additives on fermentation quality, the bacterial diversity of alfalfa silage using the Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technique, the effects of microbial inoculant on these bacterial communities, silage's antioxidant enzymes, and unsaturated fatty acid levels. In recent studies, more clear information about bacterial communities in silage fermentation has begun to be obtained with the use of NGS technique. In studies using these techniques, it was reported that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) organic acid additions to alfalfa silage caused Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and Sporolactobacillus species to increase relatively in silage environment, the ratio of unwanted species decreased and silage quality increased. Although the amount of alpha-tocopherol, and beta carotene decreased by half in pure silage compared to fresh alfalfa, it was observed that LAB inoculation increased the ratio of alpha tocopherol, beta carotene and also polyunsaturated fatty acids. Future silage additives are expected to determine effects fermentation quality, the bacterial community, the antioxidant enzymes, and unsaturated fatty acid levels.
J. Agric. Sci. Mansoura Univ, 2008
Corn stover was taken after harvesting ears immediately, chopped and ensiled in plastic buckets for eight weeks untreated or treated with enzyme or bacteria inoculation. The rate of ruminal degradation of corn stover silage was determined by using three Friesian cows fitted with cannulate. The obtained results showed that the pH value and the concentrations of total volatile fatty acids and ammonia nitrogen were lower, while the concentrations of total organic acids and lactic acid were higher for enzymes or bacteria treated compared with untreated corn stover silage. The contents of OM, CF, NDF, ADF, hemicellulose and cellulose were higher and ash content was lower for untreated compared with enzymes or bacteria treated corn stover silages. While, the DM, CP, EE, NFE and ADL were nearly similar. Enzymes treated corn stover silage recorded significantly (P<0.05) the highest in situ ruminal disappearance, potential degradable fraction and the effective of degradability and the lowest undegradable fraction of DM, CP, CF and fiber fractions followed by bacteria treated silage, while untreated silage showed opposite trend. The rapid degradable fraction and degradation rate of DM, CP, CF and fiber fractions for enzyme and bacteria treated silage were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of control silage. It could be concluded that enzymes and bacteria treated corn stover silage improved chemical composition, fermentation characteristics and in situ ruminal degradation.
Wheat cropping is a characteristic point of double cropping system following rice cropping in Japan. Feed evaluation of forage wheat is important for dairy production based on the domestic feed resources. The objective of the present study was to determine the preservation and nutritive characteristics of whole crop wheat silage (WCWS) and wheat straw silage (WSS) cultivated in a drained paddy field of local farms. Whole crop wheat harvested at the dough to yellow ripe stages and wheat straw were ensiled in round-bales and stored for 2 to 12 months. Twenty five round-bales of WCWS and 10 round-bales of WSS were investigated in this study. Both WCWS and WSS were made at farmers fields in 4 different sites. The WCWS was well preserved and averaged of pH 4.46, and concentrations of lactate, acetate and butyrate were 19.2, 10.4 and 4.7 g kg-1 on a dry matter (DM) basis, respectively. The mean pH of WSS was 5.46 and it contained lower acids (1.9, 2.2 and 1.0 g kg-1 DM of lactate, acetate and butyrate, respectively), indicating suppressed fermentation due to high DM content. The WCWS had crude protein of 78 g kg-1 DM and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of 546 g kg-1 DM, and non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC) of 306 g kg-1 DM on average. There was a higher variation in the CP and NFC contents but relatively less variation in the NDF content among the WCWS samples (variance coefficient 22.0, 12.8 and 6.1%, respectively), which as attributed to the difference in the maturity of grain. The WSS had NDF content of 775 g kg-1 DM, mostly cellulose (415 g kg-1 DM). The in vitro organic matter degradability (IVOMD) of WCWS and WSS were 56.1 and 29.3%, respectively. The IVOMD of WCWS was not significantly correlated with pH and lactate and acetate content, but slightly correlated with butyrate content and NH 3-N ratio. The higher coefficient of variation for in vitro gas production at the initial stages of ruminal incubation of WCWS was associated with the observation of higher coefficient of variation for NFC content as compared to those of fiber fractions such as NDF and ADF. In conclusion, winter cropping of wheat plant at the post-rice cropping can supply fermentable energy in rumen as whole crop silage, and wheat straw also can be useful as fibrous material by ensiling.
Austral journal of veterinary sciences, 2020
The objective of this study was to evaluate ruminal fermentation (i.e. pH, ammonia, and volatile fatty acid concentrations) and in situ degradability of diets in sheep fed sugarcane silage (SCS) supplemented with Tithonia diversifolia (Td) or alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay (A), with or without rice (Oriza sativa) polishing (RP) as an energy source. Four Blackbelly sheep (35 kg average body weight) with rumen cannula were used. The experimental diets were (g/kg of dry matter): Diet 1) SCS (686) + Td (294), Diet 2) SCS (460) + Td (226) + RP (294), Diet 3) SCS (637) + A (343), and Diet 4) SCS (441) + A (245) + RP (294). The remainder (20 g/kg of dry matter) was composed by minerals supplement and salt. Samples of diets were incubated into rumen for 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 72 h to determine in situ degradability. Data were analysed with a linear mixed model. The lamb, period and lamb nested in period*diet were considered as a random variable. The inclusion of RP improved the degradability of diets and ammonia production in the rumen. The acetic, propionic, and butyric acid concentrations (mmol/100 mL) in rumen increased (P<0.03) when diets with alfalfa and RP were provided. The degradability of diets based on sugarcane silage supplemented with either alfalfa or Tithonia diversifolia was improved (P<0.05) with the rice polishing inclusion, with no difference (P>0.05) between these forages. In conclusion, energy supplementation, not necessarily from starch, is important to improve rumen fermentation and degradability of diets based on sugarcane silage.
Tropical Animal Health and Production, 2019
The goal of this study was to determine the effects of the fermented juice of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (FJLB) on the quality of total mixed ration (TMR) silage containing agricultural by-products, its digestibility, rumen fermentation, and nitrogen balance in ewes. TMR was prepared from rice straw, corn stover silage, brewer grain, tofu waste, steam-flaked corn, and a mineral mixture. The treatments consisted of silage additives added to TMR: CON (no silage additive), FJLB, COM (commercial additive), and MIX (FJLB + COM). Four cannulated ewes were assigned to the 4 × 4 Latin square design. The MIX treatment produced a lower (P < 0.01) pH than did the CON and FJLB treatments and a higher (P < 0.01) lactic acid concentration than did the other treatments. The fiber content in the COM treatment was lower (P < 0.05) than that in the other treatments. The FJLB treatment had similar fermentation quality and chemical composition to those of the CON and COM treatments in all parameters observed. Although the silage quality index (Fleig point) was higher in the MIX and COM treatments than in the CON treatment, all silages had good quality. No silage additives affected intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation, or nitrogen balance. In conclusion, the TMR silage prepared from agricultural by-products mixed with wet-type food by-products with or without FJLB added resulted in well-preserved fermentation, and this product might be used as a ruminant feed.
As a forage source for total mixed ration (TMR) silage production, locally produced crop silage is now used in addition to imported hay. This type of TMR ensiling is regarded as a two-step fermentation process; hence, a survey was carried out to determine whether the bacteria in crop silage affect the subsequent TMR ensiling. Fermentation product contents and bacterial community were determined for TMR silage and its ingredient silages collected in August, October and November. August product contained corn, sorghum and Italian ryegrass silages, October product had wheat silage exclusively and November product did not include any crop silages. Acetic acid, lactic acid, 2,3-butanediol and ethanol were predominant fermentation products in corn, sorghum, Italian ryegrass and wheat silages, respectively. Robust lactic acid fermentation was seen in TMR silage, even if acetate-type and alcohol-type silages were mixed as ingredients. The finding that bacterial community of the TMR silage appeared unrelated to those of ingredient silage supported this. Silages of various fermentation types can therefore be formulated without interfering with lactate-type fermentation in TMR silage.
TURKISH JOURNAL OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES, 2021
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of molasses, and bacterial inoculants on silage quality, fermentation characteristics, nutrient contents, and in vitro digestibility of different forage species grown at terrestrial climate of Central Anatolia without any artificial fertilizer usage and irrigation. Forage peas (Pisum arvense L.), Hungarian vetch (Vicia pannonica Crantz), rye grass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and triticale (xTriticosecale Wittmack) harvested at the dough stage of triticale and conserved in 1.5 kg jars. Silages were treated with no additive (control silage), 5% molasses and 10 g/t bacterial inoculant. Sensory, pH, organic acid, chemical analyses and in vitro digestibility of all silages were determined Forage peas silage had the highest lactic and acetic acid concentrations among all silages. Addition of both molasses and inoculant did not affect the lactic acid (LA) contents of silages (p > 0.05), but both them increased acetic acid contents (p < 0.05). Ammonia-N concentrations were higher in forage peas silage compared with other silages (p < 0.05). The concentrations of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and crude protein (CP) were significantly different among silages (p < 0.05). The addition of molasses significantly reduced the silage OM, NDF and ADF contents (p < 0.05). In vitro OM digestibilities and energy values of silage were significantly different among silages made from different forages (p < 0.05), but not affected by silage additives. It can be concluded that high quality silage can be prepared from legume forages such as peas and vetch and small cereal grains such as rye and triticale grown without fertilizer usage and irrigation in central Anatolian arid conditions without any silage additive application, and but silage additive use may improve silage quality.