Yan Xingquan, Bao Jian, Zhao Muqier, Liu Zhuotong, Wang Mingjiu, Liu Jingyi, Sun Pengbo, Jia Yushan, Ge Gentu, Wang Zhijun
College of Grassland Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.
Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Jul 23:e0000325. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00003-25.
Applying additives to high-moisture alfalfa silage is crucial for ensuring fermentation quality. The study selected two conventional silage additives (formic acid [FA] and [LP]) and two additives with the potential to improve silage fermentation quality (cinnamon essential oil [CEO] and wood vinegar [WV]) as the subjects of the research, with the control group sprayed with an equal amount of distilled water (CK). We compared the fermentation products of high-moisture alfalfa silage at 3 d, 7 d, 15 d, 30 d, and 60 d with different additives and evaluated the dry matter (DM) digestibility, crude protein (CP) digestibility, and the bacterial community composition, co-occurrence network, function, and phenotype prediction of the alfalfa silage at 60 d of fermentation. The results indicate that after the application of additives, the pH of the alfalfa silage decreased more rapidly, and it retained more DM and CP, produced more lactic acid (LA), and reduced the levels of acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, acetic acid, and butyric acid, thereby enhancing DM digestibility and CP digestibility. In terms of bacterial community composition, LA bacteria are virtually absent in the CK group, with harmful microorganisms such as predominating. LP, CEO, and WV are enriched with a large number of bacteria beneficial to LA fermentation, such as , , , and . At the same time, the bacterial co-occurrence network structure tends to simplify, and it significantly reduces Potentially Pathogenic and Mobile Element Containing. In summary, LP, CEO, and WV are more effective additives for high-moisture alfalfa silage, capable of effectively improving the quality and safety of the silage.IMPORTANCEDuring the ensiling process of alfalfa, the growth and proliferation of harmful microorganisms can lead to a decline in silage quality. In this study, we report for the first time the improvement effect of cinnamon essential oil (CEO) and wood vinegar (WV) on the quality of alfalfa silage, which outperforms formic acid. This provides a reference for the development of novel silage additives. The results indicate that the addition of , CEO, and WV can enhance the abundance of beneficial microorganisms, including , , , and , while inhibiting the growth of harmful microorganisms such as , thereby effectively improving the quality and safety of alfalfa silage.
向高水分苜蓿青贮饲料中添加添加剂对于确保发酵质量至关重要。本研究选取了两种传统青贮添加剂（甲酸[FA]和[LP]）以及两种具有改善青贮饲料发酵质量潜力的添加剂（肉桂精油[CEO]和木醋液[WV]）作为研究对象，对照组喷洒等量蒸馏水（CK）。我们比较了不同添加剂处理下高水分苜蓿青贮饲料在3天、7天、15天、30天和60天时的发酵产物，并评估了发酵60天时苜蓿青贮饲料的干物质（DM）消化率、粗蛋白（CP）消化率以及细菌群落组成、共现网络、功能和表型预测。结果表明，添加添加剂后，苜蓿青贮饲料的pH值下降更快，保留了更多的DM和CP，产生了更多的乳酸（LA），并降低了酸性洗涤纤维、中性洗涤纤维、乙酸和丁酸的含量，从而提高了DM消化率和CP消化率。在细菌群落组成方面，CK组几乎不存在LA细菌，主要是等有害微生物。LP、CEO和WV富含大量有利于LA发酵的细菌，如、、、和。同时，细菌共现网络结构趋于简化，显著减少了潜在致病和含移动元件的细菌。综上所述，LP、CEO和WV是更有效的高水分苜蓿青贮添加剂，能够有效提高青贮饲料的质量和安全性。
重要性
在苜蓿青贮过程中，有害微生物的生长和繁殖会导致青贮饲料质量下降。在本研究中，我们首次报道了肉桂精油（CEO）和木醋液（WV）对苜蓿青贮饲料质量的改善作用，其效果优于甲酸。这为新型青贮添加剂的开发提供了参考。结果表明，添加、CEO和WV可以提高有益微生物的丰度，包括、、、和，同时抑制等有害微生物的生长，从而有效提高苜蓿青贮饲料的质量和安全性。
