Effect of xylanase and Lentilactobacillus buchneri on corn silage harvested at two maturity stages

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the aerobic stability (AS), fermentative profile, and nutritive value of corn silage harvested at two maturity stages, with the use of xylanase, associated or not with Lentilactobacillus buchneri. In trial 1, corn was harvested with a low dry matter (DM) content (250 g/kg) and ensiled in a 4 × 2 factorial scheme (4 additives and 2 storage periods), in a completely randomized design, with 4 replications. The additives tested were as follows: control (CT; no inoculant), L. buchneri (LB), xylanase (XL), and LB+XL (LBXL). The storage periods were 30 and 60 days. The neutral detergent fiber (P=0.041) and acid detergent fiber (P=0.024) content were lower in LB silage after 60 days of storage. The lactic acid bacteria population was higher (P<0.001) in LB and LBXL, while the yeast population (P=0.008) decreased in these treatments. The lactic acid concentration was lower (P<0.001) in LB at 30 days and higher at 60 days. The acetic acid content was higher (P=0.014) in LB at 60 days, but there was no difference between treatments at 30 days. The AS was higher (P<0.001) in LB and LBXL silages. All additives increased the soluble fraction of DM (P=0.015) and organic matter (OM; P=0.013). The effective digestibility of DM and OM was higher (P≤0.001) for LB and lower for CT at all passage rates. In trial 2, corn was harvested at a high DM content (360 g/kg) and ensiled in a completely randomized design with 5 replications, using the same additives as in trial 1. The ammonia content was lower (P=0.043) in LBXL silage and higher in LB. The lignin (sa) content was lower (P=0.019) in LBXL silage and higher in CT silage. The population of filamentous fungi (FUN) was higher (P=0.029) in CT silage and lower in LBXL. The same trend was observed in the population of FUN after 7 days of aerobic exposure (P=0.018). The effective digestibility of DM and OM at passage rates of 2 % was higher (P≤0.029) in LBXL silage and lower in XL silage. Inoculating corn silage with only L. buchneri was more efficient in improving the fermentative profile, aerobic stability, and nutritive value of silage than using xylanase associated or not with LB, especially in corn silage harvested at a low DM content.