Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Ephedra sinica on physicochemical characteristics and bacterial community of ensiled native grass by multiple physicochemical analyses combined with high-throughput sequencing. Methods and Results:Treatments were a control treatment with no additive (CON), E. sinica was added at 1% (CEa1), 3% (CEa2), and 5% of the fresh materials (CEa3). Compared to the CON group, the dry matter and water-soluble carbohydrate contents were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in the CEa1 group. Compared to the CON group, the pH was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in E. sinica treated silages, and a higher lactic acid content was observed in E. sinica treated silages. At the genus level, the abundance of Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Weissella were the predominant member in the CON, CEa1, CEa2, and CEa3 groups, respectively. The abundance of Lactobacillus was significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the CEa1 group and Pediococcus was significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the CEa2 group.According to the 16S rRNA gene-predicted functional profiles, the inoculation of E. sinica accelerated the carbohydrate metabolism. Conclusions:In summary, the addition of E. sinica could improve the silage quality of native grass by regulating the bacterial community, and the addition of a 1% percentage of fresh materials exhibited the potential possibility of responding to get high-quality native grass silages. Significance and Impact of the Study: The utilization of herbal additives on fermentation quality combined with 16S rRNA gene-predicted functional analyses will contribute to the direction of future research in improving silage quality.
This study aimed to characterize the fungal diversity and mycotoxin concentrations of native grass hay in various storage periods. In the present study, the native grass hay samples were collected when stored for 0 d (D0 group), 30 d (D30 group), and 150 d (D150 group), respectively. Here, mycotoxin analyses combined with ITS gene sequence were performed to reveal the changes in response to the storage period. There were notable differences in deoxynivalenol and aflatoxin B1 concentrations among the three groups. Compared to the D150 group, the diversity of the fungal community was higher in the D0 and D30 groups, which indicating the diversity was significantly influenced by the storage period. No significant (p > 0.05) difference was observed among the three groups on the dominant phyla. Interestingly, a significant (p < 0.05) difference was also observed in Chactomella and Aspergillus among the three groups, the abundance of the Chactomella was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased and the abundance of Aspergillus was statistically (p < 0.05) increased in the D150 group. Correlation analysis of the association of fungi with mycotoxin could provide a comprehensive understanding of the structure and function of the fungal community. These results indicated that the good practices of storage are essential for the prevention of mycotoxin. The information contained in the present study is vital for the further development of strategies for hay storage with high quality in the harsh Mongolian Plateau ecosystem.
Bioaugmentation of native grass ensiling with Lactobacillus plantarum or Lactobacillus buchneri or Pediococcus pentosaceus on the ensiling performance and bacterial community was investigated after 30 days of the fermentation process. The native grass was inoculated with distilled water, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus buchneri, and Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, and Pediococcus pentosaceus as the CON treatment, T1 treatment, T2 treatment, and T3 treatment, respectively. The addition of lactic acid bacteria was added at a total of 1 × 106 colony-forming unit/g of fresh weight. As expected, the markedly (p < 0.05) lower water-soluble carbohydrate content was tested in the T2 and T3 treatments compared to the CON and T1 treatments. Compared to the CON and T1 treatment, significantly (p < 0.05) higher crude protein content, and lower acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber contents were found in the T2 and T3 treatments. Compared to the CON treatment, the pH significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculated silage, and the lowest pH was measured in the T3 treatment. Similarly, significantly higher lactic acid and acetic acid contents were also found in the T3 treatment compared to those in other treatments. After 30 days of ensiling, the Shannon and Chao1 indexes in silages decreased compared to that in the fresh materials (FMs). The principal coordinate analysis indicated that both FM and silage were distinctly separated in each treatment with no interactions on the confidence ellipse (R = 0.8933, p = 0.001). At the phylum level, the dominant phylum was shifted from Proteobacteria to Firmicutes after the fermentation process. Interestingly, Weissella dominated the fermentation in the CON treatment and Lactobacillus dominated the fermentation in all inoculated LAB silages at the genus level. Results of functional prediction analyses showed that the metabolism of amino acid, cofactors, and vitamins, and membrane transport was reduced, while the metabolism of nucleotide and majority carbohydrates was increased after ensiling. The complex LAB (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, and Pediococcus pentosaceus) exhibited the potential possibility to decrease pH and enhance the relative abundance of LAB in response to obtaining high-quality silage by the synergistic effects. These results suggested that the complex LAB could improve the ensiling performance of native grass silage, and lay a theoretical basis for inoculant application in native grass.
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