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. 2022 Mar 30;6(2):txac037.
doi: 10.1093/tas/txac037. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Effect of cutting height, microbial inoculation, and storage length on fermentation profile and nutrient composition of whole-plant corn silage

E Cole Diepersloot  1 , Celso Heinzen Jr  1 , Benjamin A Saylor  1 , Luiz F Ferraretto  1
Affiliations

Effect of cutting height, microbial inoculation, and storage length on fermentation profile and nutrient composition of whole-plant corn silage

E Cole Diepersloot et al. Transl Anim Sci. .

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cutting height, heterofermentative microbial inoculants, and storage length on the fermentation profile and nutrient composition of whole-plant corn silage. The experiment was a completely randomized design with a 2 (cutting height) × 3 (microbial inoculation) × 5 (storage length) factorial arrangement of treatments. Corn forage was harvested at two cutting heights: either 25 cm (REG) or 65 cm (HI). Then, forage was inoculated with one of three microbial inoculants: (1) 300,000 CFU/g of fresh forage of Pediococcus acidilactici DSM 16243, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074 (LBLD; Bonsilage Speed inoculant, Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), (2) 500,000 CFU/g of fresh forage of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DSM 12837 and L. buchneri DSM 16774 (LPLB; Bonsilage Corn + WS inoculant, Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), or (3) distilled water (CON). Last, forage was randomly assigned to ferment for 5, 7, 14, 28, or 56 d of storage in vacuum-sealed bags. Silage pH was affected by a three-way interaction (P = 0.01), where CON treatments decreased continually over time while LPLB and LBLD began to increase at later storage lengths. Acetic acid concentration was greater (P = 0.001) in LPLB and LBLD than CON silage after 56 d of storage. Silage treated with LBLD did not have detectable levels of propionic acid (P > 0.05), although 1-propanol concentration was greater (P = 0.001) in LBLD treatments after 56 d of storage. The concentrations of total acids and acetic acid were greater (P = 0.01 and P = 0.001, respectively) for REG silage compared to HI. Additionally, HI silage had greater (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively) concentrations of dry matter (DM) and starch, while neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) and lignin concentrations were lower (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively) in HI silage compared to REG silage. Last, HI silage had a greater (P = 0.001) NDF digestibility than REG silage. The results of this study demonstrate that increasing cutting height can improve nutrient composition of whole-plant corn silage. Additionally, results demonstrate that heterofermentative microbial inoculants can be used to shift silage fermentation to the production of lactic and acetic acids.

Keywords: 1-propanol; Lentilactobacillus buchneri; Lentilactobacillus diolivorans; heterofermentative; neutral detergent fiber digestibility; propionic acid.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The effect of cutting height (CH), microbial inoculant (MI), and storage length (SL) on pH, total acids, lactic acid, and acetic acid. a,b,c Different superscripts denote differences in sliced effects within day, if present. Treatments consist of: CH: Regular (25 cm) or High (65 cm); MI: LBLD (P. acidilactici DSM 16243, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074; 300,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), LPLB (L. plantarum DSM 12837 and Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 16774; 500,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), or CON (distilled water); SL: 5, 7, 14, 28, 56, or 90 d of storage. (A) pH; P = 0.01; SEM = 0.01. (B) Total acids, % DM (Dry Matter); P = 0.20; SEM = 0.31. (C) Lactic acid, % DM; P = 0.22; SEM = 0.24. (D) Acetic acid, % DM; P = 0.15; SEM = 0.08.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The effect of cutting height (CH), microbial inoculant (MI), and storage length (SL) on 1,2-propanediol, 1-propanol, and ethanol. a,b,c Different superscripts denote differences in sliced effects within day, if present. Treatments consist of: CH: Regular (25 cm) or High (65 cm); MI: LBLD (P. acidilactici DSM 16243, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074; 300,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), LPLB (L. plantarum DSM 12837 and Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 16774; 500,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), or CON (distilled water); SL: 5, 7, 14, 28, 56, or 90 d of storage. (A) 1,2-Propanediol, % DM (dry matter); P = 0.001; SEM = 0.02. (B) 1-Propanol, % DM; P = 0.02; SEM = 0.02. (C) Ethanol, % DM; P = 0.01; SEM = 0.13.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The effect of cutting height (CH), microbial inoculant (MI), and storage length (SL) on DM (dry matter) and WSC (water-soluble carbohydrates). a,b,c Different superscripts denote differences in sliced effects within day, if present. Treatments consist of: CH: Regular (25 cm) or High (65 cm); MI: LBLD (P. acidilactici DSM 16243, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074; 300,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), LPLB (L. plantarum DSM 12837 and Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 16774; 500,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), or CON (distilled water); SL: 5, 7, 14, 28, 56, or 90 d of storage. (A) DM, % as fed; P = 0.97; SEM = 0.61. (B) WSC, % DM; P = 0.17; SEM = 0.13.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
The effect of cutting height (CH), microbial inoculant (MI), and storage length (SL) on CP (crude protein), SCP (soluble crude protein), and NH3-N. a,b,c Different superscripts denote differences in sliced effects within day, if present. Treatments consist of: CH: Regular (25 cm) or High (65 cm); MI: LBLD (P. acidilactici DSM 16243, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074; 300,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), LPLB (L. plantarum DSM 12837 and Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 16774; 500,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), or CON (distilled water); SL: 5, 7, 14, 28, 56, or 90 d of storage. (A) CP, % DM (dry matter); P = 0.70; SEM = 0.12. (B) SCP, % CP; P = 0.07; SEM = 1.13. (C) NH3-N, % CP; P = 0.35; SEM = 0.26.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
The effect of cutting height (CH), microbial inoculant (MI), and storage length (SL) on 30 h in vitro NDF digestibility (NDFD) and 240 h in vitro undigested NDF (uNDF). a,b,c Different superscripts denote differences in sliced effects within day, if present. Treatments consist of: CH: Regular (25 cm) or High (65 cm); MI: LBLD (P. acidilactici DSM 16243, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074; 300,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), LPLB (L. plantarum DSM 12837 and Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 16774; 500,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), or CON (distilled water); SL: 5, 7, 14, 28, 56, or 90 d of storage. (A) NDFD 30 h, % NDF (neutral detergent fiber); P = 0.25; SEM = 0.24. (B) uNDF 240 h, % DM (dry matter); P = 0.04; SEM = 0.58.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
The effect of cutting height (CH), microbial inoculant (MI), and storage length (SL) on starch and starchD (starch digestibility after 7 h). a,b,c Different superscripts denote differences in sliced effects within day, if present. Treatments consist of: CH: Regular (25 cm) or High (65 cm); MI: LBLD (P. acidilactici DSM 16243, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074; 300,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), LPLB (L. plantarum DSM 12837 and Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 16774; 500,000 CFU/g forage; Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN), or CON (distilled water); SL: 5, 7, 14, 28, 56, or 90 d of storage. (A) Starch, % DM (dry matter); P = 0.52; SEM = 1.25. (B) StarchD 7h, % Starch; P = 0.04; SEM = 0.98.
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