Effect of Chemical and Microbial Additives on Fermentation Profile, Chemical Composition, and Microbial Populations of Whole-Plant Soybean Silage
Jefferson Rodrigues Gandra,
Caio Seiti Takiya,
Tiago Antonio Del Valle,
Cibeli de Almeida Pedrini,
Erika Rosendo de Sena Gandra,
Giovani Antônio,
Euclides Reuter de Oliveira,
Igor Kieling Severo,
Francisco Palma Rennó
Affiliations
Jefferson Rodrigues Gandra
Faculdade de Agronomia, Instituto de Estudo em Desenvolvimento Agrário e Regional, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Para, Marabá 68507-590, Brazil
Caio Seiti Takiya
Academic Department of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Technology—Paraná, Via do Conhecimento, Km 1, Pato Branco 85503-390, Brazil
Tiago Antonio Del Valle
Department of Animal Science, Rural Sciences Center, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria—UFSM, Santa Maria 97105-900, Brazil
Cibeli de Almeida Pedrini
Faculdade de Ciências Agrarias, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados 79804-970, Brazil
Erika Rosendo de Sena Gandra
Faculdade de Zootecnia, Instituto de Estudos no Trópico Úmido, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Marabá 68507-590, Brazil
Giovani Antônio
Faculdade de Ciências Agrarias, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados 79804-970, Brazil
Euclides Reuter de Oliveira
Faculdade de Ciências Agrarias, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados 79804-970, Brazil
Igor Kieling Severo
Academic Department of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Technology—Paraná, Via do Conhecimento, Km 1, Pato Branco 85503-390, Brazil
Francisco Palma Rennó
Department of Animal Production and Animal Nutrition, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga 13635-900, Brazil
This study evaluated the effects of two chemical additives or a microbial inoculant on chemical composition and DM losses in whole-plant soybean silage. One-hundred and twenty mini-silos were used in a completely randomized design experiment with the following treatments: water without chloride (control, CON); a microbial inoculant (INO); a chemical additive containing 35–45% formic acid (FA type); and another chemical additive containing 50–60% propionic acid (PA type). Data were analyzed using mixed models of SAS, and treatment differences were evaluated by the following orthogonal contrasts: C1 = CON vs. additives (INO + FA type + PA type); C2 = INO vs. chemical additives (FA type + PA type); and C3 = PA type vs. FA type. Silage pH and ammonia nitrogen concentration were decreased, and concentrations of lactic acid and acetic acid were increased with additives. Counts of lactic acid bacteria were higher in silages with INO than with chemical additives. DM recovery increased with FA type and PA type. Additives increased DM and CP concentrations. Silage A-fraction proportion was greater with additives. Additives, particularly FA type and PA type, improved chemical composition and fermentative profile and reduced undigestible proportions of protein in whole-plant soybean silage. Chemical additives were more effective in reducing silage DM losses than INO.
