Influence of maceration at cutting on lactic acid bacteria populations, silage fermentation and voluntary intake and digestibility of precision-chopped lucerne silage

The selection of lactic acid bacteria for use as silage additives is normally based upon their ability to dominate the silage fermentation and not upon benefits in animal performance. The object of this study was to investigate whether two lactic acid bacteria selected for fermentation characteristics would support the same animal performance as an established silage inoculant.On 5 June 1989, first cut, predominantly perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) was ensiled direct with no wilting in plastolene silos of 2 tonne capacity. The herbage was harvested with a precision chop forage harvester and the following additive treatments were applied: None, control (C); Formic acid (Add-F, BP Nutrition, 850g/kg; 3 litres/tonne), (F); inoculant E. (Ecosyl, ICI Pic, 106Lactobacillus plantarum /g): inoculant A, (Pediococcus sp, 10 /g); inoculant B (L. plantarum 106 /g). The silages were fed to 6 wether sheep (Suffolk x Halfbred), initial live-weight, 40.1 kg (s.d. 2.22kg). Because the silages were unstable aerobically and restricted quantities of each silage were available, all sheep were fed the silages in the same (random) order.

Download Full-text

Influence of housing type on the cecal environment of horses

Translational Animal Science ◽

10.1093/tas/txz030 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 877-884

Author(s):

Ashley N Wolford ◽

Josie A Coverdale ◽

Jessica L Leatherwood ◽

William E Pinchak ◽

Robin C Anderson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Cynodon Dactylon ◽

Housing Type ◽

Ph Values ◽

Coastal Bermudagrass ◽

Quarter Horse ◽

Voluntary Intake ◽

Internal Marker

Abstract Eight previously cecally cannulated Quarter Horse geldings were utilized in a crossover design with two 28-d periods with a 21-d washout period between to evaluate the influence of housing on the cecal environment and dry matter intake (DMI). Horses were adapted to diet and housing from day 1 to 19, DMI was determined from day 20 to 24, and cecal fluid was collected on day 28. Horses were paired by age and body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to treatment. Treatments consisted of housing horses individually in stalls or group housed in a pen. Regardless of treatment, all horses were individually fed a pelleted concentrate at 1% BW (as fed) offered twice daily 12 h apart. All horses had ad libitum access to coastal bermudagrass hay (Cynodon dactylon). Hay was offered to stalled horses initially at 2% BW (as fed) and then adjusted based on 120% of a previous 3-d average of voluntary intake. A dual marker system was used to estimate forage consumption in all horses, using titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the external marker and acid detergent insoluble ash (ADIA) as the internal marker. TiO2 was offered at 10 g/d for 10 d with fecal samples collected on the final 4 d at 12-h intervals advancing by 3 h each day to account for diurnal variation. Cecal samples were collected on day 28, 4 h after the morning meal and immediately analyzed for pH, total anaerobic and lactic acid bacteria populations, methane and ammonia concentrations, as well as volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations. Data were analyzed using the PROC GLM procedure of SAS with the model containing effects for horse, period, and treatment. Cecal pH was affected by housing (P = 0.02) with group-housed horses having lower cecal pH values compared with stalled horses (6.52 vs. 6.69, respectively). There was no influence of housing on populations of total anaerobic or lactic acid bacteria. Furthermore, housing did not influence cecal concentrations of VFA or methane and ammonia concentrations. Estimates of voluntary forage DMI were greater for group-housed horses (P = 0.04) than stalled (8.47 and 5.17 ± 0.89 kg DM/d, respectively). In conclusion, confinement housing did not, with the exception of pH, alter cecal environment of a horse when similar diets were offered but did affect forage consumption.

Download Full-text

Effects of adding a Lactobacillus Plantarum inoculant to grass ensiled at different dry matter concentrations and offered to beef cattle

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) ◽

10.1017/s0308229600026623 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 1994 ◽

pp. 115-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. O'Kiely

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽

Beef Cattle ◽

Lactobacillus Plantarum ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Silage Fermentation ◽

Different Levels

Silage fermentation is progressively restricted as the extent of pre-wilting increases (O'Kiely et_al., 1988). The magnitude of the improvement in silage nutritive value in response to a lactic acid bacteria inoculant could be related to the extent of the fermentation in the untreated silage. The objective of this experiment was to determine if the response in silage nutritive value to a Lactobacillus plantarum inoculant was similar at different levels of dry matter (DM) concentration.

Download Full-text

Epiphytic lactic acid bacteria succession during the pre-ensiling and ensiling periods of alfalfa and maize

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) ◽

10.1017/s0308229600022650 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 1992 ◽

pp. 155-155

Author(s):

Chunjian Lin ◽

K. K. Bolsen ◽

B. E. Brent ◽

D.Y.C. Fung ◽

W. R. Aimutis

Keyword(s):

Zea Mays ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

North America ◽

Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽

Limited Information ◽

Maize Hybrids ◽

Silage Fermentation ◽

Whole Plant ◽

Three Stages ◽

Second Year

Epiphytic LAB, e.g., lactobacilli, lactococci, enterococci, pediococci, streptococci, and leuconostocs, play a major role in silage fermentation. Their numbers and populations have become a concern in predicting the adequacy of silage fermentation and in determining whether or not to apply a bacterial inoculant (Bolsen et al, 1989). Epiphytic LAB counts are usually low and variable on silage crops (Lin et al, 1991), and increases in the LAB counts usually occur coincident to the chopping process. Only limited information is available concerning the succession of epiphytic LAB species during the ensiling period of alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) and maize (Zea mays L.), the two major silage crops in North America. The present studies investigated the epiphytic LAB succession during the pre-ensiling and ensiling periods for two cuttings of alfalfa, each harvested at three stages of maturity, and three whole-plant maize hybrids.A second-year stand of alfalfa was harvested at the 2nd and 4th cuttings and at the late-bud, 10% bloom, and 50% bloom stages of maturity within each cutting in 1989. Following mowing, the alfalfa was wilted in the windrow for 5 to 6 hours prior to precision chopping.

Download Full-text