Effects of Microbial and Organic Additives on Fermentation Quality and Aerobic Stability of Barley Silage

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate effects of various microbial and organic additives on chemical compositions, fermentation indices, and aerobic stability of barley silage. Youngyang barley harvested at 31.5% dry matter (DM), and ensiled into 20 L bucket silo for 0, 1, 3, 7, 48, and 100 d in quadruplicates with four additives following: sterile destilled water at 1% of fresh forage (CON); Lactobacillus plantarum at 1.2 x 105 cfu/g of fresh forage (CL); Lactobacillus buchneri at rate of 1.2 x 105 cfu/g fresh forage (LB); Fermented Persimmon Extract at 1% of fresh forage (FPE); and Essential Oil at 1% of fresh forage (EO). On 100 d of ensiling, CL and FPE silages had lower (p<0.05) DM than CON silage. Additionally, FPE silage had higher (p<0.05) crude protein than CON silage. All silages with additives, except EO, had higher (p<0.05) neutral detergent fiber (NDF) than CON silage. Silage treated with CL, LB, and FPE had lower in vitro DM digestibility than CON silage, and silages treated with LB and FPE had higher in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD) on 100 d of ensiling. The PFE silage produced the highest (p<0.05) lactate during ensiling period, while LB silage produced the highest (p<0.05) acetate. All inoculated silages had higher (p<0.05) LAB count than control silage. Only CL silage had higher (p<0.05) yeast count than control silage, while the other silages were not differ compared to CON silage. The aerobic stability was higher (p<0.05) in LB and FPE silages than in CON silage. In conclusion, FPE could be an alternative additive to increase IVNDFD, fermentation indices, and aerobic stability of barley silage.