Lucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) is a valuable fodder tree, but it contains high contents of anti-nutritional factors, such as mimosine and tannins. The present study investigated the silage fermentation characteristics and ensiling effects on the degradation of mimosine and tannins of leucaena. Mimosine and tannins gradually reduced during ensiling, and sucrose and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) addition promoted their degradation. The highest degradation rate of mimosine was 49.0% in sucrose treatment and the lowest was 25.5% in the control. The highest degradation rate of tannins was 54.7% in the combined treatment of sucrose and LAB and the lowest was 40% in the control. The degradation rates of mimosine and tannins had negative correlation with the pH value and had positive correlation with lactic acid content in silage.

Two moisture levels of sugarcane top (moisture contents 69.03% - MC1 and 56.38% - MC2) were treated with fermented green juice (FGJ) at 2 ml/kg and/or with cellulase (CEL) at 5000 U/kg raw matter, and ensiled in the laboratory at ambient temperature. All additive treatments significantly (P<0.01) increased lactic acid and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents, and significantly (P<0.01) decreased pH and contents of NH3-N and acetic acid compared with the control. The treatment of FGJ and CEL mixture significantly (P<0.01) decreased pH and content of acetic acid (AA) compared with treatments of FGJ and CEL alone. All the MC2 silages had more extensive fermentation than MC1 silage, shown by higher contents of lactic acid, lower pH values and NH3-N contents. In conclusion, both FGJ and CEL addition significantly improved the silage quality of sugarcane top, and their mixture had better result than FGJ and CEL alone. Reducing the moisture content of sugarcane top could improve its silage quality.