This study aimed to explore the changes in the microbial community on the silage material surface and during the ensiling process of whole-plant maize in different regions. Whole-plant maize silages were sampled in Ziyun, Guanling, and Weinning counties within warm and humid climate areas in southern China. Silages were sampled at 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 45 days during ensiling. The nutritional components, fermentation properties, and microbiomes were examined to evaluate the influence of sampling area and fermentation time on the quality of silage. The results showed that the pH values of all silages significantly decreased (<4.2 at ensiling day 2) during fermentation and all silages achieved satisfactory fermentation at 45 days. Butyric acid was not detected during ensiling, and the contents of acetic acid and ammonia nitrogen in the final silages were below 6 g/kg DM and 50 g/kg total nitrogen, respectively. Weissella was the dominant epiphytic bacteria of raw material in Ziyun and Weinning, while Lactobacillus was prevalent in Guanling. Lactobacillus dominated the ensiling process, and its abundance significantly increased with increasing fermentation time in the three groups. Lactobacillus was negatively correlated with pH of all silages (p < 0.05) and positively correlated with lactic acid, propionic acid and acetic acid (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the bacterial community was significantly correlated with environmental factors. Altitude had a highly positive correlation with the abundance of Stenotrophomonas, Chryseobacterium, and Massilia (p < 0.01), while precipitation was negatively correlated with these bacteria. The humidity and average temperature significantly influenced the Lactobacillus and Weissella abundances of fresh whole-plant maize. During the ensiling process, the silages from three regions had similar bacterial dynamic changes, and the Lactobacillus formed and maintained good fermentation characteristics in whole-plant maize silage.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of inoculation with two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Lentilactobacillus buchneri) and the addition of four corn flour proportions (0, 3, 6, and 9%) in different treatments, on the composition and function of the bacterial community in whole-plant paper mulberry silage. The different treatments promoted Lactiplantibacillus, Lentilactobacillus, and Lacticaseibacillus growth, but the microbial species responsible for fermentation differed among the treatments. High species diversity and various Gram-negative bacteria, such as Flavitalea sp., Pantoea agglomerans, Acinetobacter pittii, Turicibacter sanguinis, and Ralstonia pickettii, were found in the uninoculated LAB treatments. A beneficial bacterium, Lactobacillus johnsonii, was discovered for the first time in whole-plant paper mulberry silage. LAB inoculation simplifies the microbial community structure, and beneficial Lactobacillus as a key species aggregates in the inoculated treatment group. However, L. rhamnosus inoculation alone may have limited bacteriostatic activity against in whole-plant paper mulberry silage. Compared with silage lacking corn flour, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, galactose metabolism, the phosphotransferase system and the pentose phosphate pathway metabolic activity were increased in corn flour-containing silage. Whole-plant paper mulberry can be used as a high-quality silage to provide high-quality feed resources for sustainable ruminant livestock production. Moreover, additive use is necessary for preparing paper mulberry silage.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.