Silage inoculants, which include beneficial microorganisms like lactic acid bacteria (LAB), play a vital role in modern silage production by enhancing fermentation quality. This study evaluated the effectiveness of various commercial inoculants on the fermentation dynamics of Italian ryegrass silage over 45 days. The treatments included a control group and five inoculant formulations: T1 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum), T2 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus), T3 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactiplantibacillus buchneri), T4 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactiplantibacillus acidophilus and Lactiplantibacillus bulgaricus), and T5 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus and Enterococcus faecium). After 45 days, all treatment groups exhibited significantly higher crude protein (CP) content compared to the control group (80.64 g/kg dry matter (DM), p<0.05). Treatments T2 and T5, which incorporated combinations of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Enterococcus faecium, showed higher CP contents at 105.53 and 107.05 g/kg DM, respectively. The inoculated silages also demonstrated a rapid pH reduction within the early days, with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in T1 reducing the pH to 4.0 within four days. Additionally, inoculated treatments had significantly higher lactic acid levels than the control (67.96 g/kg DM, p<0.05), and T3 (Lactiplantibacillus buchneri) produced higher acetic acid levels (16.07 g/kg DM, p<0.05) than other inoculants. The control group also had a notably higher ammonia nitrogen content. In conclusion, while single-strain inoculants like Lactiplantibacillus plantarum are effective for rapid acidification, the use of combined bacterial strains can further enhance silage quality by improving lactic acid fermentation and nutrient preservation, particularly in treatments like Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactiplantibacillus buchneri and Enterococcus faecium.
Silage inoculants, crucial in modern silage production, comprise beneficial microorganisms, primarily lactic acid bacteria (LAB), strategically applied to forage material during ensiling. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of various inoculants produced by different companies. Five treatments were evaluated, including a control group: T1 (Lactobacillus plantarum), T2 (Lactobacillus plantarum + Pediococcus pentosaceus), T3 (Lactobacillus plantarum + Pediococcus pentosaceus + Lactobacillus buchneri), T4 (Lactobacillus plantarum + Lactobacillus acidophilus + Lactobacillus bulgaricus), and T5 (Lactobacillus plantarum + Pediococcus pentosaceus + Enterococcus faecium). Italian ryegrass was harvested at the heading stage and treated with these silage inoculants. Samples were collected over a 60-day ensiling period. Co-inoculation with L. plantarum and P. pentosaceus (T2) resulted in significantly higher CP compared to the control group co-inoculation exhibited with resulted in Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus in the T2 treatment exhibited higher CP content of 106.35 g/kg dry matter (DM). The T3 treatment, which included heterofermentative bacterial strains such as Lactobacillus buchneri, exhibited an increase in acetic acid concentration (11.15 g/kg DM). In the T4 treatment group, which utilized a mixed culture of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the NH3-N/TN content was observed to be the lowest (20.52 g/kg DM). The T5 containing Enterococcus faecium had the highest RFV (123) after 60 days. Expanding upon these findings, the study underscores not only the beneficial effects of particular inoculant treatments on silage quality but also underscores the potential of customized inoculation strategies in maximizing nutrient retention and overall silage preservation.