Microbial population, chemical composition and silage fermentation of native grasses growing on the Inner Mongolian Plateau

Abstract

Silage was made from the dominant native grasses growing on the Inner Mongolian Plateau, including Baical needlegrass (Stipa baicalensis), China leymus (Leymus chinensis), Scabrous hideseedgrass (Cleistogenes squarrosa), Ruthenia medic (Melissilus ruthenicus) and Slenderleaf pulsatilla (Pulsatilla turczaninovii) and their microbial populations, chemical composition and silage fermentation were studied. Before ensiling, these grasses contained per g of fresh matter (FM) 105 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cell‐forming units (cfu), 107 aerobic bacteria, 103–105 coliform bacteria, yeasts and molds. The LAB counts increased rapidly after 2 days of fermentation and remained dominant during the fermentation process. After 7 days of ensiling, the coliform bacteria and molds were below detectable levels in all silages. The crude protein (CP) of these grasses ranged from 8.93 to 14.95% of dry matter (DM), and the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) comprised 58.29–70.05% of DM. Crude protein content of Ruthenia medic was higher and the NDF and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of Slenderleaf pulsatilla were lower than those of the other grasses. During ensiling, the organic matter, CP, ether extract, NDF and ADF contents in each kind of silage did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). During the progression of ensiling, the lactic acid and acetic acid contents increased in all silages, while the pH decreased. At day 30, all silages had similar fermentation patterns; more than 0.58% FM lactic acid was produced and the pH was reduced below 4.44. The results suggest that the native grasses can be used to prepare good quality silages.

Assessing genotypes of buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) as an alternative to maize silage for sheep nutrition

“…On the contrary, the lower pH of 4.04-4.47 and higher lactic acid range of 39.1-76.5 g/kg of dry matter for six warm season grasses was recorded [61]. The NH 3 -N values in the fresh materials of native grasses ranged from 0.51 to 0.72 g/kg [62], and this was consistent with the obtained values except for genotype IG97-358. An another study [63] noted an NH 3 -N level of 0.47 g/kg in fresh Inner Mongolian grass, which was lower than the corresponding values of 0.71, 0.73 and 0.91 g/kg in fresh materials for genotype IG96-96, IG96-403 and IG97-358, respectively, recorded in this study.…”

Dynamic changes and characterization of the protein and carbohydrate fractions of native grass grown in Inner Mongolia during ensiling and the aerobic stage

“…The dominant species in the Inner Mongolian native grassland were Leymus chinensis Trin., Serratula centauroides L., and Astragalus melilotoides Pall., all of which have high CP content. Generally, LAB, aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, molds, and yeasts are present in Inner Mongolian native grasses before ensiling; aerobic bacteria are the dominant microorganisms during the first stage of ensiling, causing a degree of fermentation loss [6]. In our study, WSC and CP content decreased during ensiling.…”

“…Recently, a commercial LAB inoculant has been used to prepare Inner Mongolian native grass silage to increase lactic acid production, rapidly reduce pH, and inhibit the growth of harmful microbes. The use of this inoculant minimizes dry matter (DM) loss and the degradation of protein and carbohydrate, thereby preserving similar nutrient values to those of ensiled forage [6].…”

Ensiling characteristics of total mixed ration prepared with local feed resources in Mozambique and their effects on nutrition value and milk production in Jersey dairy cattle

“…After 14 days of ensiling, coliform bacteria and molds were below detectable levels in fermented TMR. These data suggest that epiphytic LAB grew well in the TMR fermentation environment and produced sufficient lactic acid to inhibit the growth of other bacteria and reduce silage pH, resulting in high‐quality fermented TMR (Ge, Hou, Liu, Jia, & Cai, 2018).…”