Effect of inoculation rate of selected strains of lactic acid bacteria on fermentation and in vitro digestibility of grass-legume forage.

Grass-legume forage was used to evaluate the effect of inoculation rate of selected strains of lactic acid bacteria on fermentation and in vitro digestibility during 57 d of ensiling. Chopped forage (DM = 28%) was ensiled in 4 to 6-kg quantities and treated as: 1) control, 10(3) epiphytic lactic acid bacteria; 2) 10(5) added lactic acid bacteria; and 3) 10(6) added lactic bacteria/g of wet forage. Samples were obtained for analyses on d 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 14, 29, and 57 of fermentation. Treated silages were observed to have: 1) greater quantities of lactic acid bacteria, 2) a greater proportion of homofermentative lactic acid bacteria, and 3) lactic acid bacteria with greater biological activity. Addition of each amount of lactic acid bacteria: 1) increased the rate of utilization of water-soluble carbohydrate and decline in pH, 2) limited the formation of NH3 N, and 3) increased the in vitro digestibility of DM and ADF. No differences were observed in the lactic acid content of the silages after 57 d of fermentation.