Influence of Growth Stages and Additives on the Fermentation Quality and Microbial Profiles of Whole-Plant Millet Silage

Na Zhao, Xia Hao, Maozhe Yin, Changqing Li, Chao Wang () and Hongyan Han ()
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Na Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Xia Hao: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Maozhe Yin: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Changqing Li: Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Development and Utilization of Microbial Resources in Silage, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Hohhot 010031, China
Chao Wang: Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Development and Utilization of Microbial Resources in Silage, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Science, Hohhot 010031, China
Hongyan Han: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: This study aimed to determine the optimal growth stage and additives for producing high quality millet silage through two experiments. Experiment 1: Whole-plant millet from the same field and under uniform management was harvested at the heading, sizing, milking, dough, and full-maturity stages. Then, it was chopped into 2–3 cm segments, vacuum-sealed in plastic bags without any further treatment, stored at 20 °C, and opened after 60 days. The results indicated that the dough stage had the highest water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and crude protein (CP) contents. The lactic acid (LA) and acetic acid (AA) contents during the dough and maturity stages were significantly higher than other stages, with the lowest pH observed during the dough stage. Experiment 2: The whole-plant millet was harvested at the dough stage. It was then chopped into 2–3 cm segments using a forage chopper, mixed thoroughly, and subjected to different treatments—inoculation with 10 6 CFU/g FM of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP), adding of 1% FM sucrose (S), and a combination of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and sucrose (MIX)—with a control group (CK) receiving an equivalent amount of water. The MIX treatment significantly enhanced the WSC content compared to other treatments ( p < 0.05), and both the LP and MIX treatments showed superior LA and AA contents and lactic acid bacteria counts. These additives significantly altered the bacterial community, shifting dominance from Proteobacteria in the CK and raw materials to Firmicutes. Klebsiella dominated the CK group but was significantly reduced in the additive treatments, where Lentilactobacillus became the dominant genus. Therefore, we recommend harvesting millet at the dough stage and adding a mixture of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and sugar to improve fermentation quality and aerobic stability.

Keywords: whole-plant millet; growth stages; additives; fermentation quality; bacterial communities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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