Effects of different cutting methods and additives on the fermentation quality and microbial community of Saccharum arundinaceum silage

Yulong Zheng; Mengxin Li; Jinyi Xu; Hong Sun; Qiming Cheng; Yixiao Xie; Chunmei Wang; Chao Chen; Ping Li

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.999881

Effects of different cutting methods and additives on the fermentation quality and microbial community of Saccharum arundinaceum silage

Front Microbiol. 2022 Sep 23:13:999881. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.999881. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yulong Zheng¹, Mengxin Li¹, Jinyi Xu¹, Hong Sun¹, Qiming Cheng¹, Yixiao Xie¹, Chunmei Wang^{1

2}, Chao Chen¹, Ping Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Collage of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
² Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.

Abstract

To develop a new high-yielding and polysaccharide-containing forage resource for livestock, the effects of different cutting methods and additives on Saccharum arundinaceum silage were evaluated. The wilted S. arundinaceum were chopped and knead-wired. The silages from each cutting method were treated with Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), cellulase (CE) and the combination of LP and CE (LP + CE) for 3, 7, 15, 30, and 60 days. Compared with the CK treatment, CE treatment exhibited better effects in the degradation of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), LP exhibited a better performance in preserving the content of dry matter (DM), and adding LP + CE significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) the contents of lactic acid (LA), crude protein (CP) and DM and significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the pH and NDF content during ensiling. In addition, both additives exerted a remarkable effect on the silage bacterial community (P < 0.05), with a dramatic increase in the Lactobacillus abundance and a decrease in the abundance of Enterobacter. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) became the most dominant bacteria that affected the fermentation quality of LP and LP + CE silages. Meanwhile, chopped silages showed better fermentation quality and nutrient preservation and a higher abundance of LAB. Our research indicated that the chopped S. arundinaceum ensiling with LP + CE could exert a positive effect on LA fermentation and preservation of nutrient substances by shifting the bacterial community. In conclusion, S. arundinaceum can serve as a new silage resource for feed utilization by the ensiling method of LP + CE-chopped.

Keywords: Lactobacillus plantarum; Saccharum arundinaceum; bacterial community; cellulase; cutting methods; silage.