Fermentation quality and microbial community of alfalfa and stylo silage mixed with Moringa oleifera leaves

The silage quality of alfalfa and stylo without or with 25%, 50% Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) was investigated, and microbial community after ensiling was analysed. Results showed that the silage samples with MOL have lower butyric acid (0.50 vs 1.20, 0.60 vs 14.5 g/kg dry matter (DM) in alfalfa and stylo silage, respectively), ammonia-N (152 vs 262, 109 vs 180 g/kg total N) content and DM loss (7.71% vs 14.6%, 6.49% vs 18.9%). The addition of MOL also influenced the bacterial community distribution. The relative abundance of Enterobacter decreased from 58.6% to 30.5%, 17.4% to 9.1% in alfalfa and stylo silage when 50% MOL was added. Clostridium decreased from 23.5% to 0.2% in stylo silage, whereas Lactobacillus abundance increased from 30.4% to 49.9%, 41.8% to 86.0% in alfalfa and stylo silage, respectively. In conclusion, mixing with MOL could be a feasible way to improve the quality of alfalfa and stylo silage.