Sustainable Use of Pennisetum sinese: Effect on Nutritional Components and Fermentation Quality of Stylosanthes guianensis in Tropics

Yuanting Yang, Qun Wu, Hu Liu, Ke Wang, Meng Zeng, Xiaotao Han, Weishi Peng, Hanlin Zhou () and Jiancheng Han ()
Additional contact information
Yuanting Yang: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Qun Wu: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Hu Liu: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Ke Wang: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Meng Zeng: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Xiaotao Han: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Weishi Peng: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Hanlin Zhou: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Jiancheng Han: Zhanjiang Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang 524013, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 16, 1-12

Abstract: Mixed ensiling of Stylosanthes guianensis and Pennisetum sinese is an alternative method to improve the nutrient composition of feeds for healthy and green ruminant production in the tropics. This study examined the fermentation quality, nutritional composition, and microbial population in silage to select the most suitable ratio of mixed silage containing different proportions of S. guianensis and P. sinese . It was completely randomized and consisted of four treatments with five replications based on fresh weight as follows: S0, 100% P. sinese ; S15, 85% P. sinese + 15% S. guianensis ; S30, 70% P. sinese + 30% S. guianensis ; and S45, 55% P. sinese + 45% S. guianensis . The silage samples were opened and detected after ensiling for 30 days. The results showed that the content of dry matter and crude protein in mixed silage increased with the increase in S. guianensis , while the content of acid detergent fiber decreased significantly, and the maximum or minimum value appeared in the S45 group. As the proportion of S. guianensis increased, the pH, ammonia nitrogen, and acetic acid in mixed silage gradually increased, but the lactic acid content decreased. In addition, the content of lactic acid bacteria and yeast showed a significant downward trend. Further study showed that there was a complex correlation between nutrient compositions, fermentation characteristics, and microbial numbers in mixed silage, especially dry matter, crude protein, and lactic acid bacteria. From the sensory evaluation of silage, S30 was excellent and exhibited an aromatic smell, a hazel color, and the loosest texture. However, from the results of the proportion of organic acids in mixed silage fermentation and further principal component analysis, the highest comprehensive score was in the S15 group. Considering the nutritional compositions and fermentation quality, the optimum ratio of mixed fermentation between S. guianensis and P. sinese in this experiment was 30:70.

Keywords: Pennisetum sinese; Stylosanthes guianensis; mixed silage; nutritional components; fermentation quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12484/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12484/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:16:p:12484-:d:1218776

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().