An evaluation of three bacterial inoculants and formic acid as additives for first harvest grass

Abstract

An experiment was carried out during 1984 to study the effect of treating grass at ensiling with three commercially available inoculant-type additives {H/M Inoculant, Grass Sile and Siron), formic acid (850 g kg"'; Add-F) or no additive on grass preservation, in-silo loss, intake and animal performance. Primary growth grass ensiled from 28-29 May into concrete-walled covered silos was of high dry matter (DM, 234 g kg"'), water-soluble carbohydrate content (WSC. 212 g kg DM"') and digestibility (MADF, 250 g kg DM " ').The untreated silage displayed good preservation and with the exception of the Sirontreated silage which showed significantly lower buffering capacity (Be) and volatile fatty acid (VFA) contents than the untreated silage, the application of inoculant-type additives did not improve silage preservation or decrease in-silo DM losses. The formic acid-treated silage displayed significantly lower Be, water-soluble carbohydrate, ash, ammonia nitrogen (g kg total N"') and lactate contents than the untreated silage.After a 133 d storage period, silages were offered to finishing beef cattle for an 84-d period. Cattle offered the silages displayed similar and non-significant daily DM intakes, daily liveweight gains, dressing proportions and daily carcass gains. From this experiment it appears unlikely that any of the additives evaluated will improve animal performance relative to a well-preserved untreated silage.

Effects of inoculant treatment on silage fermentation, digestibility and intake by growing cattle

“…ment with the results of Appleton and Done (1987), Henderson et al (1988), Kennedy et al (1989),Kennedy (1990) and O'Kiely (1990Kiely ( ,1991, whereas Weddell (1986),…”

Effects of bacterial silage inoculants on whole-crop maize silage fermentation and silage digestibility in rams

“…According to Kennedy (1990), the effect of an inoculant on animal performance may not be significant if the untreated silage is well preserved. When fed to rams (Table 3), the inoculated silage increased (P <0.05) the intake of DM, OM, CP and GE compared to the control, which agrees with Rooke et al (1988) and Rooke & Kafilzadeh (1994) when inoculated silage was fed to sheep as the sole feed.…”

Cellulase and Bacterial Inoculant Effects on Cocksfoot and Lucerne Ensiled at High Dry Matter Levels

“…In lucerne silage, however, the inoculant enhanced heterolactic fermentation, which is shown by a 61% lower lactic : acetic acid ratio in IC2X-treated than in C2X-treated lucerne silage. Bacterial inoculants have shown little e †ect on fermentation of grass silage in other experiments (Kennedy 1990 ;Sharp et al 1994). Bolsen et al (1992) found increased lactic acid concentration and decreased pH and acetic acid concentration when inoculant was applied with dextrose to Biomate' lucerne, but inoculant alone had only a small e †ect on fermentation products during the Ðrst days of ensiling.…”