IntrodUCtIon Ensiling is an ancient method used to preserve the nutritive value of forages by packing and storing forage in airtight conditions. Silage fermentation occurs naturally under anaerobic conditions (the absence of oxygen). Plants contain native lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and when silage is placed under anaerobic conditions, these LAB produce lactic acid, reducing the pH to a level i...

Hay preservatives such as acids, bacterial inoculants, enzymes and other compounds, allow for hay to be baled at higher moisture levels (18-25%), thus decreasing field drying times. Baling at higher moisture means that there will be reduced in-field dry matter (DM) and leaf loss. While preservatives do not add anything in terms of nutritive value, they prevent heating and mold development if ha...

Inoculation of legume seed is an efficient and convenient way of introducing effective rhizobia to soil and subsequently the rhizosphere of legumes. However, its full potential is yet to be realised. Following widespread crop failures, the manufacture of high quality inoculants revolutionised legume technology in Australia in the 1960s. Many improvements to inoculants and the advent of an inocu...

Findings from multi-year, multi-site field trial experiments measuring maize yield response to inoculation with the phosphorus-solubilizing fungus, Penicillium bilaiae Chalabuda are presented. The main objective was to evaluate representative data on crop response to the inoculant across a broad set of different soil, agronomic management and climate conditions. A statistical analysis of crop y...

Bioaugmentation of contaminated sites with microbes that are adapted or genetically engineered for degradation of specific toxic compounds is an area that is currently being explored as a clean-up option. Biomarkers have been developed to track the survival and efficacy of specific bacteria that are used as inocula for bioremediation of contaminated soil. Examples of biomarkers include the luc ...

A long term study has been carried out for over a decade across various tea gardens, located in different parts of Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), with a focus on rhizosphere microbiology of tea. Occurrence of ‘negative rhizosphere effect’ exerted by the established tea bushes, in contrast to the normal stimulatory effect exhibited by the plants in general as well as young tea bushes, is the fir...