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Corn Silage InoculantsReviewGbola Adesogan
Department of Animal SciencesIFAS, University of Florida
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OutlineSilage fermentation process
Chemical additives
Organic acid additives
Ammonia (urea)
Inoculants
Definition
Roles Types
Effectiveness
Take home messages
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Sugars
Chemical changes duringfermentation
Days21
CPLactate
AmmoniaAcetic acidButyric acid
20
15
10
5
Scale (%)
1
pH
CROP SILAGE
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Fermentation pathwaysProduct Nutrient
Losses
Substrate
(Microbe)
Fermentation
2 x Lactic acid(Low pH)
Low Glucose( L. plantarum)
Homo-fermentative
1 x Lactic & aceticacids, ethanol &CO2 (Moderate pH)
Moderate Glucose( L. buchneri)
Hetero-fermentative
V. highEthanol, CO 2 Glucose, lacticacid (Yeasts &
molds)
Aerobic spoilage
Butyric acid + CO 2(High pH)
High Lactic acid(Clostridia)
Secondaryfermentation
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Organic acids
Role Rapidly reduce pH; hence inhibit undesirable microbes Antifungal hence enhance aerobic stability
Types Pure acids e.g. formic, propionic , acetic & benzoic acids.
Effective but caustic & hazardous
Buffered organic acids Ca & Na salts of pure acids Less caustic & safer to handle
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Ammonia (urea)Role Alkaline and antifungal in nature Improves aerobic stability Contributes CP
Concerns Narrow harvest window
If < 60% moisture volatilization If >70% moisture N loss in effluent
May hinder fermentation & increase DM losses V. caustic, protective clothing required Ammonia poisoning
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InoculantsDefinitionAdditives containing bacteria selected to grow quickly anddominate the bacterial population in the silage
Types1. Traditional (homofermentative) inoculants
e.g. Lactobacillus plantarum lactic acid & pH, acetic & butyric acids losses of DM (1-3%), sugar and protein May increase fiber digestion & animal
performance (3-5%)
2. Newer inoculants (heterofermentative) Aerobic stability enhancers
e.g. L. buchneri
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Effectiveness of inoculants
0
20
40
60
(Muck & Kung, 1997)
n = 221 233 148
34 39 8235
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Effectiveness of inoculants indifferent silages
Fermentation 60%
Intake 28%
Gain 53%
Milk production
47%
(Muck, 2002)
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Effectiveness of inoculants indifferent silages
% t r i a l s w
i t h l o w e r p H
0
20
40
60
Alfalfa Grass Corn Sm. Grain
(Muck and Kung, 1997)
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Epiphytic bacteria on Standing Crops
00.5
11.5
22.5
33.5
44.5
C o r n P . R y e g r a
s s
R y e g r a s s
H . R y e g r a s s
A l f a l f a
Homoferm. Heteroferm. Entero
(Andrieu & Gouet, 1990)
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Contrasting views on inoculants
Results from over 200 laboratory -scale silo studies,indicated bacterial inoculants were beneficial in over90% of the trials. A good-quality, effective inoculant
should be applied to every load of forage ensiled! (Bolsen, 1997)
Reviewed corn silage inoculants articles for 5 years
We dont see enough benefits to recommendinoculants for corn silage (Muck, 2001)
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Forage factors affecting inoculantaction
Forage epiphytic microbial population
Forage sugar content
Forage buffering capacity
Forage maturity stage
Forage hybrid / variety
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Inoculant factors affectinginoculant action
Bacteria strain and composition
Bacteria viability
Inoculant application rate
> 100,000 live bacteria (cfu)/g or > 90 billion bacteria /
ton
Inoculant form Liquid inoculants act faster & more evenly distributed
Must use within 24h & inactivated by chlorinated water
All inoculants are not created equal
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Fermentation enhancement when epiphytic bacteria arecompromised - Immediately after frost Dry crop
Immature cropUse traditional homofermentative inoculants
Aerobic stability enhancement
Homofermentative inoculants reduce acetate and propionate, hence are less effectiveUse L. buchneri (heterofermentative)
Inoculants are most effective forcorn silage for:
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QUESTION:Does anyone know if I can re-bag corn silage? We need more
pavement and the bag is in the way. Would it work better to put itin a bunker silo?
ANSWERS 1. No problemo re -bagging. Would very much
recommend it.
1. We rebagged some corn silage two years agoand were left with a horrible pile of garbage. Theexcellent corn silage had become inedible. Rightnow we're using it as part of our compostprogram.
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Bunk /Aerobic spoilageMore prevalent in corn & small grain silages
Can cause < 50% of losses in silage DMSpoilage of the top 1m = $500 to $2500 (Bolsen, 1997)
Causes
Air entry into good silage Air pockets in poor silage Untidy silo faces Slow feedout
Effects Reduce intake Reduce nutritive value
Produce mycotoxins
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Effect of inoculants on aerobic stability of cornsilage (Ranjit & Kung, 2000)
Inoculant Application rate(cfu/g) Acronym
Control 0 Control
Lactobacillus buchneri 100,000 LB Mod
Lactobacillus buchneri 1,000,000 LB High
Lactobacillus plantarum 1 1,000,000 LP 1
Lactobacillus plantarum 2 1,000,000 LP 2
Storage-mate NA Store-mate
ff f l
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Effect of inoculants oncomposition
0
2.5
5
7.5
10
Acetate
Lactate WSC (sugars)
% D
M
C o n
t r o l
L B x
M o d
L B x
H i g h
L P - 1
L P - 2
S t o r e - m a t e
Yeasts (log 10cfu)
ff f l b
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Effect of inoculants on aerobicstability
A e r o b
i c s t a b
i l i t y
( h o u r s
)
27 36
>900
32.8 33 38
C o n
t r o l
L B x
M o d
L B x
H i g h
L P - 1
L P - 2
S t o r e - m a t e
(Ranjit & Kung, 2000)
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L. Buchneri Summary
Benefits Enhanced aerobic stability No adverse effects on intake (observed so far)
Limitations More nutrient losses than homofermentative inoculants
Future work Combining front (homofermentative) & back end
(heterofermentative) inoculants
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Silage Additive Regulators
Countries with pre-market screening of additivesUK UKASTA Canada Ag. Canada USA None
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Take Home Messages
Only use inoculants with Independent research-attested track record >90 billion live bacteria / ton L. plantarum for fermentation enhancement L. buchneri for bunk life enhancement Dont choose by cost (35 cents to $1 per ton) Use only corn silage inoculants for corn silage
Apply at chopper, not into wagon or at bunker Store in a cool, dry place Once diluted, use within 24 h.
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Silage producers have long recognized the positive effects of using an inoculant to insure the
proper transformation of forage into a palatableand digestible feedstuff
Recent quote:
Beware, inoculants are useful but they are neither:
A substitute for bad management
magic potions
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Take Home Messages
Harvest promptly (35%DM or 1/3-2/3 milk line)
Sharp knives, chop lengthUnprocessed (1/4 3/8 inch)Processed (3/4 inch)
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Take Home Messages
Fill bunker promptlyPack, pack and pack againSeal immediately & properly + tires
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Take Home Messages
Manage the silo face Feedout quickly (6 inches/day) The narrower the bunker, the better
Minimal disturbance Heat loss = production volatilized
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Questions
Eff t f d l d li
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Effect of delayed sealing onfermentation (Uriate et al., 2001)
Day Control Additive-treated
Control Immediateseal
Delayed(48h) seal
0h seal Delayed(48h) seal
pH at opening 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.6
pH 4 days later 3.6 8.0 3.7 8.2
Lactic acid atopening (% DM)
4.5 4.9 4.1 4.5
Lactic acid 4days later
4.4 0.3 3.9 1.5
Eff t f d l d li g
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Effect of delayed sealing onstability & yeasts (Uriate et al., 2001)
Day Control Additive-treated
Control Immediateseal
Delayed(48h) seal
0h seal Delayed(48h) seal
Lactate utilizingYeasts at opening
4.9 5.7 5.0 5.5
Lactate utilizingYeasts 4 days later
8.2 9.4 9.0 8.7
Aerobic stability(hours)
113 65 137 89
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Ensiling losses-Source % Net Energy lost
Respiration 1-2
Wilting 2-5
Heterofermentative bacteria 4
Secondary Fermentation 0-5
Effluent 5-7Aerobic spoilage in the silo 0-10
Aerobic spoilage at feedout 0-15
(McDonalds et al., 1991)
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How does buchneri work
Uses heterolactic fermentation More acetate produced Acetate is an anti-fungal agent Inhibits-spoilage causing yeasts & moulds
Disadvantages of heterolactic fermentation Depressed lactate production & higher nutrient losses
Depression in intake if excess acetate is produced
Effect of temperature on corn
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Effect of temperature on cornsilage pH
37O
C
28OCTarget
pH
(Weinberg et al., 2001)
Effect of temperature on corn
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Effect of temperature on cornsilage pH
Inoc, 24 OC
Control 24O
C
Inoc, 41 OC
(Weinberg et al., 2001)
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Inoculated silages may spoil more than respectivecontrol silages at high temperatures which inhibit thegrowth of inoculant bacteria.
Special care should be taken during silage making andunloading in warm climates
Florida corn silage producers must do better thanaverage.
Temperature matters!
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Fermentation vs. stabilityTraditional view Conventional inoculants (homofermentative) enhance
fermentation but often reduce bunk life Cause = Reduced acetic & propionic acid
Emerging view
L. buchneri (heterofermentative) inoculants can improve bunk life
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