Alfalfa Silage Treated With Sucrose Has an Improved Feed Quality and More Beneficial Bacterial Communities

Abstract

Alfalfa silage is one of the main roughages in the production of dairy cow, which can provide nutrition with high quality to improve milk quality and production. Sucrose additions have been widely used to improve the silage quality. In this study, the effects of sucrose on the fermentation quality and bacterial communities of alfalfa silage were investigated here using 0, 0.5, and 1% sucrose ensiling treatments for 15, 30, and 60 days. The ensiling time significantly decreased the crude fiber content and increased the ammonia nitrogen, acetic acid content, and the relative abundance of Enterococcus in the silages. The 1% sucrose-treated silage at 60 days had the lowest neutral detergent fiber acid, acid detergent fiber, and crude fiber content and the highest relative feed value. Moreover, sucrose-treated silage contained less acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, and had a lower pH than the controls for each duration. Enterobacteriaceae, Klebsiella, and Enterococcus were the dominant genera in all groups, and the relative abundance of Enterococcus and Lactobacillus was higher in the 1% sucrose-treated group than in the control. These results suggested that sucrose supplementation could improve alfalfa silage quality and increase its beneficial bacterial content.

Effects of whey powder on fermentation quality, nutritive value, and digestibility of alfalfa silage

“…The second reason for such low pH values is the high buffering capacity of legumes which might be a barrier. On the other hand, pH values of the silages treated with WP were compatible with some previous studies (Şengül and Aydın, 2019;Kang et al, 2021). Nevertheless, the addition of 2 and 4% WP was enough to improve other fermentation characteristics, such as aerobic stability and the microbial population in the alfalfa silages, without changing the pH.…”

Influence of Cellulase or Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on the Ensiling Performance and Bacterial Community in Mixed Silage of Alfalfa and Leymus chinensis

“…For the purpose of improving the ecological environment, the growing area of alfalfa in Horqin Sandy Land is increasing since alfalfa has a high resistance to drought and salt with a rich yield and protein [ 5 , 6 ]. However, alfalfa can only be harvested during specific times of the year and the natural drying process leads to plenty of nutrient loss [ 7 ]. Hence, ensiling is an efficacious technique to preserve the fresh forage because it extends the storage time and improves the palatability [ 8 ].…”