The effect of bacterial inoculants on the fermentation and aerobic stability of whole crop wheat silage

The effect of applying lactic acid bacteria (LAB) at ensiling on the fermentation and aerobic stability of whole crop wheat silage was studied under laboratory conditions. The LAB inoculants consisted of Lactobacillus plantarum + Enterococcus faecium combinations (inoculant A), and Lactobacillus pentosus (inoculant B) in experiments with fresh and wilted whole crop wheat (368 and 421 g DM kg(-1), respectively). The inoculants were applied each at about 1.5 x 10(6) cfu g(-1) After treatment, the chopped forages were ensiled in 1.5-1 anaerobic jars. Three jars per treatment were sampled on days 2, 4, 7, 16, and 65. At thr end of the experiment, the silages were subjected to an aerobic stability test lasting 5 days, in which CO2 production was measured, as well as chemical and microbiological parameters, to determine the extent of aerobic deterioration. In fresh wheat silages, the LAB inoculants did not improve fermentation and aerobic stability. However, in the wilted wheat silages, the amounts of CO2 (g kg(-1) DM) produced were highest for the control (9.2 +/- 6.0), lower for inoculant A (6.1 +/- 6.5) and lowest for inoculant B (1.1 +/- 0.4). L. pentosus (inoculant B) seems to have the most potential in protecting wilted wheat silage from yeast and moulds upon aerobic exposure. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.