The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of homofermentative and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants on fermentation and aerobic stability in a variety of crops and dry matter concentrations. The experiments were conducted with lucerne, ryegrass, ryegrass-timothy, red clover-ryegrass and whole crop maize using three additives in laboratory scale conditions. Each treatment and crop was replicated five times when determining the chemical composition and aerobic stability in the silage. The data were statistically analyzed as a randomized complete block by using the GLM procedure of SAS. Additive application reduced pH and formation of butyric acid, alcohols and ammonia-N in all crops compared with the untreated silage (p < 0.05). The use of additives increased the content of lactic acid except heterofermentative LAB in maize with 276 g kg -1 DM and increased the content of acetic acid except homofermentative LAB in ryegrass-timothy and maize with 276 g kg -1 DM compared with the untreated silage (p < 0.05). It was observed that the aerobic stability of silages was improved significantly (p < 0.05) by using homofermentative and heterofermentative LAB inoculants.
Twenty Lithuanian Black-and-White calves (10 bulls, 10 heifers) were used to evaluate the effects of the supplemental probiotic product, Enterococcus faecium M74 (2.4 g/day/calve), added to fresh milk and skimmed milk in a 56 day-study. The probiotic was administered by dietary supplementation to first group of calves and their respective pens (probiotic group), whereas the second group (control group) received no probiotic supplementation. The results of this trial indicate positive effects of the probiotic product Enterococcus faecium M74. The actual percentage of calves with diarrhoea was reduced from 50 % to 20% among the calves fed the pre-and probiotic diet. Probiotic supplementation reduced the faecal count of clostridia and enterococci. The calves fed Enterococcus faecium M74 weighed more at 20, 40 and 62 days of age by 4.9%, by 9.7% (P < 0.05) and by 9.4% (P < 0.01), respectively, than the control calves. The calves fed Enterococcus faecium M74 had increased daily weight gains compared with the calves not fed a probiotic product. The average weight gain and the daily weight gain of the probiotic-supplemented calves were by 7.8 kg (P < 0.01) and by 0.14 kg higher (P < 0.01) compared with the control calves. The calves given the Enterococcus faecium M74 also had forage and total DM intakes that were numerically higher than those fed the control diet, without any additive. During the 56 days experimental period, the average feed conversion rate was improved by 12.9% in the probiotic-treated group.
The effect of inoculation on nutrient content, fermentation, aerobic stability, and beef cattle performance for whole-plant corn silage treated with a commercial product (blend of homo- and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria, BSM, blend of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus brevis, DSM numbers 3530, 19457, and 23231, resp.), was compared to a control treatment with no silage additives (CT). The material had a DM of 323 g/kg, crude protein, and water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations of 87.9 and 110.5 g/kg DM, respectively. BSM increased the fermentation rate with a significantly deeper pH (P < 0.01), a significant increase in the total organic acids concentration (P < 0.05), more lactic acid (P < 0.01), and numerically more acetic acid compared to CT. BSM significantly decreased the concentrations of butyric acid (P < 0.01), ethanol, and ammonia-N compared to the CT. BSM-treated silage decreased DM by 3.0 % (P < 0.01) and had a higher digestible energy and a higher metabolizable energy concentration by 2.3 (P < 0.01) and 1.00 % (P < 0.05), respectively, compared to untreated silage. Aerobic stability improved by more than 2 days in BSM silage. The DM intake of silage treated with BSM increased by 6.14 %, and improved weight gain and the feed conversion by 8.0 (P < 0.01) and 3.4%.
An in vitro laboratory study using 3 L mini silos was conducted in 2012-2013 to observe the effects of 8 inoculants on silage nutrient composition, pH, volatile fatty acids concentration, dry matter loss, and aerobic stability. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in early-flower stage (first harvest, 355 g kg -1 DM), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in early-boot stage (first harvest, 322 g kg -1 DM) and mixture of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) at a ratio 60:25:15 of fresh matter, in early bloom stage of red clover (first harvest, 343 g kg -1 DM) were used. The trials were conducted as a randomized complete block design, with five replicates per crop per treatment. Each trial had 9 treatments (uninoculated control and 8 inoculantsFeedtech products (F10, F18, F22 and F3000), and products Sil-All 4 × 4 (ISA), Lalsil Dry (LD), Bonsilage (IBO) and Bio-sil Stabil (BS), with 5 silos per treatment. The mini silos were filled to a target density of 0.2 kg L -1 DM. After a 90-day storage at 20°C, silages were sampled and analyzed. All the eight microbial inoculant products improved many aspects of silage quality across the range of silage analytes examined and across the three forage types tested. Inoculant treated alfalfa, perennial ryegrass and red clover/ryegrass/timothy silage had significantly lower pH values, ammonia-N concentration and dry matter losses, but significantly higher lactic acid concentration compared to untreated silage. Inoculants F18, F22, F3000 and ISA gave significantly lower pH value than F10, LD, IBO and BS in alfalfa silage and in perennial ryegrass silage. The pH value for the red clover/ryegrass/timothy silage treated with inoculants F10, F22 and F3000 was significantly lower compared to F18, ISA, LD, IBO and BS inoculants treated silages. Lactate was significantly higher in perennial ryegrass silage for F18 and F22 inoculants compared with F10, F3000, ISA and LD inoculants and in red clover/ryegrass/timothy silages for F10, F22, F3000 and ISA inoculants versus (vs) F18, LD, IBO and BS inoculants. Dry matter loss was lower (P < 0.05) in perennial ryegrass silages for F10, F18, F22 and F3000 inoculants compared with ISA, LD and IBO inoculants, and in red clover/ryegrass/timothy silages for F10, F18, F3000 and ISA inoculants compared with F22, LD, IBO and BS inoculants (4.02% vs 4.18%, P < 0.05). Addition of the inoculants improved aerobic stability of alfalfa silages by 126-204 h, of perennial ryegrass silages by 18-216 h and of red clover/ryegrass/timothy silages by 30-138 h compared to the uninoculated control. The results suggest that the lactic acid bacteria inoculants were effective in improving the silage quality in moderately difficult and difficult to ensile forage.
Whole crop maize in dough stage physiological maturity of grain (387 g kg-1 dry matter) was ensiled in big (1.2 m diameter × 1.2 m height) bales and in 3-litre mini silos with either viable lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus buchneri or without any additives. Silos were opened after 120 days, silage was sampled and the nutrient composition, fermentation products and microbial colony counts were determined. Big bale and laboratory silage was exposed to air, and aerobic stability was determined. Significant variation was observed between inoculant treated and untreated big bales, and inoculant treated and untreated laboratory silage. Viable LAB caused reduction in acidity (pH) value, a decrease in dry matter (DM) loss, concentrations of butyrate, ammonia nitrogen (NH 3-N) and alcohols, and an increase in the concentrations of lactic and acetic acids in both big bale and laboratory silage. Inoculated silage had lower counts of yeasts and moulds after ensiling and after air exposure, which improved their aerobic stability relative to the untreated silage. The untreated silage had a relatively large proportion of visibly spoiled silage at the surface of the big bales. The similarities observed between the big bale and laboratory silage showed that small scale silage can serve as a model for big bale silage and can be used to test the efficacy of silage additives in laboratory conditions.
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