Effects of homo-fermentative bacterial inoculants on fermentation characteristics and nutritive value of low dry matter corn silage

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of inoculation of homo-fermentative lactic acid bacteria(LAB) on ensiling characteristics and nutritive value of low dry matter corn silage (LDMCS). Corn foragewas harvested at milk stage (22.8 ± 0.9% DM), chopped at theoretical length of cut (TLC) 2.5 cm, and stored in eighteen 3.8 L mini silos for each treatment. The following treatments were used, 1) control(uninoculated), 2) ecosyl (treated with ecosylTM corn silage inoculants containing Lactobacillus plantarum),and 3) biotal (treated with biotalTM corn silage inoculants containing Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcuspentosaceus and Propionibacter freudenreichii). Triplicate silos for each treatment were opened and sampledfor chemical analyses after 3, 6, 12, 16, 21 and 90 days of ensiling. Neither ecosyl nor biotal improvedfermentation characteristics of LDMCS compared to the control silage. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), aciddetergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP), water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents and lactic acid (LA)concentration were not affected significantly by inoculants (P>0.05). Acetic acid concentration of controlsilages was higher; however, ethanol concentration was lower than the other silages. Biotal treated silageshad the highest ammonia-N (NH3-N) concentrations compared to the control (P