Influence of Varying Levels of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Inoculant on the Physicochemical Characteristics and Degradation Kinetics of Corn Silage

Silage Inoculant and Corn Silage Quality

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum as an inoculant on the physical (color, odor, texture), chemical characteristics (pH, total soluble sugars [TSS], Flieg point [FP], dry matter [DM], organic matter [OM], ash, crude protein [CP], neutral detergent fiber [NDF], acid detergent fiber [ADF], and hemicellulose), and fermentation kinetics of corn silage. Treatments were 0% (T1), 1% (T2), 2% (T3), and 3% (T4) concentration of L. plantarum applied to corn before ensiling for 21 d. Afterwards, an in situ experiment was immediately conducted to test the digestibility of corn silage at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h using 3 cannulated cows following a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Results showed that T3 obtained an ideal pH value at 3.55 and the highest (p < 0.05) CP content (7.06%). The fiber components (NDF, ADF, and hemicellulose) were not significantly different among treatments. Moreover, T3 had the highest (p < 0.05) soluble fraction for both DM (37.32%) and OM (37.71%), whereas T4 had the highest (p < 0.05) effective degradability (ED) (50.14%). In conclusion, the addition of 2% L. plantarum inoculant improved the physicochemical characteristics and degradation kinetics of corn silage by promoting a rapid and efficient fermentation process that can improve nutrient composition, reduce fermentation losses, and enhance both silage quality and effective DM degradability.