Effect of forage species and ensiling conditions on silage composition and quality and the feed choice behaviour of goats

Scherer, Rebecca; Gerlach, Katrin; Taubert, Johannes; Adolph, Stephanie; Weiß, Kirsten; Südekum, Karl‐Heinz

doi:10.1111/gfs.12414

Cited by 11 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…plantarum in silages inoculated with this species, which is supported by the present observations for BIO. As indicated by the low pH of 4.28, lowest concentration of acetic acid and second highest lactic acid concentration among all lucerne silages, the silage quality of BIO can be assessed as excellent (Kung et al ., 2018; Scherer et al ., 2019). Consequently, treatment with viable Lact .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Samples for the fermentation product and microbial analyses were obtained from an experiment conducted by Scherer et al . (2019), who comprehensively described the preparation of the lucerne silages. Briefly, a pure stand of lucerne (cultivar Plato; first cut) was harvested at the late vegetative stage.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The analysis of the fermentation products was performed as described in detail by Scherer et al . (2019). Briefly, a cold-water extract was prepared from all samples, respectively, and the pH of the extracts was determined potentiometrically.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Varying ensiling conditions affect the fermentation quality and abundance of bacterial key players in lucerne silages

et al. 2020

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The successful ensiling of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) depends on a rapid acidification in the silo and consequently relies on a sufficient proliferation of, particularly homofermentative, lactic acid bacteria. Similarly, growth of spoilage bacteria, such as enterobacteria and clostridia, must be suppressed and silage additives are therefore frequently applied to promote favourable conditions during ensiling. Three silage additives or soil were applied during lucerne ensiling and investigated for their effects on silage quality characteristics and abundances of total bacteria as well as the bacterial key players Lactobacillus spp., homofermentative Lact. plantarum, heterofermentative Lact. buchneri, Clostridium spp. and Enterobacteriaceae after 30 days of storage. Inoculation with viable Lact. plantarum resulted in highest concentration of this species and excellent silage quality, i.e. high lactic acid concentration coupled with low acetic acid and ammonia-nitrogen concentrations. A sodium nitrite and hexamine-based additive did not support growth of lactic acid bacteria, which was also apparent by higher pH and low lactic acid concentration. No effect of treatments was found on spoilage-related enterobacteria and clostridia, even not when adding soil to lucerne to increase initial clostridial contamination. However, soil treatment resulted in increased ammonia-nitrogen and acetic acid concentrations. Consequently, among the bacterial key players, lactic acid bacteria concentrations were related to silage quality. Regarding spoilage bacteria, however, alterations in silage quality characteristics were not reflected in the abundances of enterobacteria and clostridia. Future investigations should underpin the present findings and help to understand how silage additives affect microbial key players and silage fermentation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Varying ensiling conditions affect the fermentation quality and abundance of bacterial key players in lucerne silages

et al. 2020

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“…True protein in SI still contributed >500 g/kg CP. Much lower TP concentrations can be reached as a result of protein breakdown even in well-fermented silages [51]. The silage produced in this experiment was relatively dry due to constant dry weather conditions during the wilting period on the field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The Effect of Herbage Conservation Method on Protein Value and Nitrogen Utilization in Dairy Cows

et al. 2019

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Ruminant production systems frequently rely on grassland utilization and conservation of herbage as hay or silage. Conservation affects the crude protein (CP) composition and protein value, which is particularly recognized during ensiling. The aim of the current study was to describe the effect of the conservation method on forage protein value and N utilization in dairy cows. Herbage from the same sward was cut and conserved as silage (SI), barn-dried hay (BH), or field-dried hay (FH). Laboratory evaluation indicated differences in CP fractions and ruminal degradability of CP. Conserved forages were fed to six lactating Holstein cows in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design, and N balance was assessed. Partitioning of N into milk, feces, and urine was affected only moderately. Lower concentrations of serum, milk, and also urinary urea indicated lower N turnover for FH compared to SI and BH, likely due to lower N intake for FH. However, the use efficiency of feed N for milk N did not differ between the types of forage. Further, high CP concentrations and the unbalanced concentrations of CP and energy in the forages led to excess excretion of N in all treatments and presumably superimposed effects of the conservation method on N utilization.

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“…However, ensiled forage offered to ruminants has often resulted in a lower voluntary DMI compared with fresh (Donaldson and Edwards, 1976) or dried feed (Thiago et al, 1992). Various attempts have been made to establish relationships between silage composition and feed intake (e.g., Huhtanen et al, 2002Huhtanen et al, , 2007 as well as feed preference, including volatile fatty acids, alcohols, acetone, NH 3 -N, ethyl esters (Gerlach et al, 2013(Gerlach et al, , 2019Brüning et al, 2018), and biogenic amines (Scherer et al, 2019). These studies are valuable for the exploration of the relationships between the variety of nutrients and sensory properties of silages and forage choice of ruminants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking forage choice behavior of goats with the metabolome of contrasting silages

Scherer

Gerlach

Ghaffari

et al. 2021

Journal of Dairy Science

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The interrelationships between silage preference of ruminants and compounds that may affect forage choice are not yet fully enlightened. Analysis of the forage metabolome in addition to conventional chemical analysis and preference trials can provide new insights. Six silage treatments each of alfalfa (AL) and red clover (RC), with different dry matter concentrations (222-391 g/kg), silage additives, and intended addition of soil, were produced in quadruplicate to obtain a range of qualities. After 120 d of ensiling, silages were sampled for chemical analysis, vacuum-packed, and refrigerated for subsequent preference trials with goats. Within 21 d, each possible combination of 2 silages and an AL hay that served as control (n = 21) was presented to goats (Saanen-type wethers, n = 8, body weight 105 ± 2.7 kg) for 3 h for ad libitum intake. Comparisons among means for 3-h dry matter intake (DMI) for forages offered in choice situations were made using variance analysis, including terms for treatment and animal and the Waller-Duncan k-ratio t-test to separate means. The most preferred and avoided treatments of AL and RC silage amounted to 863, 858, 226, and 282 g DMI/3 h, respectively. To further explore relations between silage composition and preference, a metabolome analysis of the most preferred and most avoided AL and RC treatments were conducted. Metabolites (all low molecular weight molecules) were analyzed by a nontargeted metabolite profiling in the range of 50-1,700 Da. Metabolites showing the most distinct difference between preferred and avoided silages were identified by partial least squares discriminant analysis. In the 2 selected treatments of each plant species (those that were most different in forage preference), more than 6,400 compounds were detected and 2,010 were identified. Between preferred and avoided treatments, 934 of the detected compounds differed in RC and 1,860 in AL, of which 475 were altered in both plant species (251 were reduced and 186 were increased; only 38 behaved contrarily, meaning that they were increased in one substrate and decreased in the other). The database provides a useful foundation for the approach of explaining silage preference by ruminants.

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Effect of forage species and ensiling conditions on silage composition and quality and the feed choice behaviour of goats

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

Varying ensiling conditions affect the fermentation quality and abundance of bacterial key players in lucerne silages

Varying ensiling conditions affect the fermentation quality and abundance of bacterial key players in lucerne silages

The Effect of Herbage Conservation Method on Protein Value and Nitrogen Utilization in Dairy Cows

Linking forage choice behavior of goats with the metabolome of contrasting silages

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