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A database containing 140 articles published in journals (731 treatment means evaluated) was used to examine the effect of different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on fermentation, chemical composition and aerobic stability of maize (corn) silage. Compared with the control, dry matter (DM) loss increased by 8% and 50% (p < .01) due to inoculation of maize silage with either homolactic LAB ( ho LAB) or heterolactic LAB ( he LAB). In vitro DM digestibility of maize silage increased only with ho LAB inoculation (+2.22%; p < .01). The he LAB inoculation increased (p < .01) the aerobic stability of maize silage by 71.3 hr. To investigate the effect of silage inoculation on livestock production, a second database comprising 35 articles [99 treatment means evaluated based on results from 648 cattle (429 beef cattle and 219 dairy cows) and 298sheep] was used. Inoculation of maize silage with either ho LAB or he LAB did not affect milk yield (p > .05), but their combination ( mix LAB) depressed milk yield (-2.5 kg/ day; p < .01). Inoculation with ho LAB increased DM intake in sheep (+0.15 kg/day; p = .02), but decreased it in beef cattle (-0.26 kg/day; p = .01) without affecting average daily gain for both sheep and beef cattle (p ≥ .06). In conclusion, fermentative loss increased regardless of the bacterial inoculant used, while aerobic stability increased mainly by using he LAB. Benefits from ho LAB inoculation on animal performance were noted only for feed intake in sheep, while productive performances of dairy cows and beef cattle were not improved. K E Y W O R D Saerobic deterioration, animal performance, fermentation, Lactobacillus spp., silage inoculant | 597

-The objective of this study was to evaluate the mobilization of nutrients in goats of different gestation types and pregnancy stages. Forty-four Saanen and Oberhasli goats were studied. The goats of each breed and gestation type (single or twin) were slaughtered at different gestational ages (80, 110, and 140 days of pregnancy), forming a completely randomized design in a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (two breeds, three gestational ages, and two types of pregnancy). The slaughter procedure involved separating the empty body, mammary glands, uterus with membranes and fetal fluid, and fetus(es). For the females slaughtered at 140 days of pregnancy, blood was collected to analyze metabolites and hormones every 15 days during gestation. The dry matter (DM) intake was lower in goats with twin pregnancies. The relative daily retention rate of the nutrients in the body was positive at 100 days of pregnancy but became negative at 140 days (-0.18±0.25 g DM kg -1 of maternal body d -1) and did not differ with breed or number of fetuses. Fetal growth in twin pregnancies was 66% higher than in single pregnancies. The highest levels of ß-hydroxybutyrate and non-esterified fatty acids were observed beginning at 100 days of gestation. Serum total protein and albumin levels decreased after 125 days of gestation. Serum urea levels were reduced after 80 days of gestation. Plasma 17ß-estradiol levels increased with the advance of pregnancy, and IGF-1 was highest between 60 and 80 days of gestation. The maternal metabolism throughout pregnancy does not vary with the type of pregnancy, and pregnant goats need greater nutritional intake during the final third of the gestational period regardless of the breed or type of pregnancy.

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We conducted a meta‐analysis to investigate the impact of Lactobacillus plantarum or Lactobacillus buchneri on the fermentation, chemical composition, and aerobic stability of sugarcane silage. Two databases that included 15 and 27 published articles (81 and 83 silages evaluated) were used to evaluate L. plantarum and L. buchneri, respectively. For each database, the means of the treatments compiled from the studies were classified into two categories: (a) sugarcane silage without inoculant (untreated) and (b) sugarcane silage inoculated with L. plantarum (1 × 105–1.8 × 106 cfu/g of fresh forage) or with L. buchneri (2.5 × 104–1 × 106 cfu/g of fresh forage; inoculated). Sugarcane silage inoculated with L. plantarum displayed increased ethanol concentration (+43.8%, p < 0.01) and dry matter (DM) loss (+9.6%, p = 0.03). In contrast, inoculation with L. buchneri increased the acetic acid concentration (+30.8%, p = 0.01), and decreased ethanol concentration (−58.8%, p < 0.01) and DM loss (−19.7%, p < 0.01). In vitro DM digestibility decreased following inoculation with L. plantarum (−5.7%, p = 0.05) or L. buchneri (−3.3%, p < 0.01). Aerobic stability was unaffected by inoculation with L. plantarum (p = 0.16) or L. buchneri (p = 0.48). The results show that L. plantarum impairs the fermentation of sugarcane silages; therefore, its utilization might not be recommended for ensiling this crop. Conversely, even with no additional gain on silage digestibility and aerobic stability, L. buchneri may be recommended for sugarcane ensiling because it reduces alcoholic fermentation and DM loss.