Effects of bacterial inoculant containing homo and heterolactic lactobacillus on fermentation ofcorn silage and performances of Holstein dairy cattle

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Lactisil Maize (LM) on quality of corn silage and performances of dairy cattle. Lactisil Maize consist four homofermentative strains (Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei and Pediococcus pentosaceus) and one heterofermentative strain (Lactobacillus buchneri) of lactic acid producing bacteria. For inoculants of the corn crops, 500 g of LM were diluted into 200 L of water and was sprayed over 50 t of the fresh forages (1.5×105 cfu per g of fresh forage). The silos were opened 180 day after ensiling and were fed to eight Holstein dairy cattle in a replicated 2 × 2 Latin square designed experiment.There were no significant differences between control and LM treated silages in concentrations of DM and crude protein.However, applying of the inoculants resulted in an increase in neutral detergent fiber of corn silage (P< 0.01). Higher concentrations of lactic and acetic acids were found in silages with inoculants compared with control silages (P< 0.01). Aerobic stability was higher in treated silage in comparison with control (P< 0.01). Animals fed the inoculants-treated silage had lower dry matter intake (DMI, P< 0.01)and milk yield (P< 0.05)per day due to negative effects of greater concentrations of volatile compounds on DMI. Digestibility of nutrients and molar proportion of rumen volatile fatty acids were similar between treatments. As a result, inoculating corn silages with this inoculant improves the aerobic stability of corn silage but cannot conquest suppressed DMI of dairy cattle which induces by silages with greater concentrations of volatile compounds.