Fermentation Quality and in Vitro Nutrient Digestibility of Fresh Rice Straw-Based Silage Treated with Lactic Acid Bacteria

The aim of the experiment was to evaluate fermentation characteristics and in vitro nutrient digestibility of fresh rice straw-based silage ensiled with addition of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design, with 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The first factor was the ratio of fresh rice straw (FRS), tofu waste (TW) and cassava waste (CW) consisted of two levels i.e., 40 : 20 : 40 and 40 : 25 : 35, on dry matter (DM) basis). The second factor was the level of LAB inoculant with two levels ie., 0 and 20 mL/kg FM. The treatments were (A) FRS + TW + CW with the ratio of 40 : 20 : 40, without LAB inoculant; (B) FRS + TW + CW with the ratio of 40 : 20 : 40 + LAB inoculant; (C) FRS + TW + CW with the ratio of 40 : 25 : 35, without LAB inoculant; (D) FRS + TW + CW with ratio of 40 : 25 : 35 + LAB inoculant. Results showed that addition of LAB inoculant in silage increased lactic acid concentration (P0.05) on chemical composition, fermentation quality of silage and in vitro digestibility. It was concluded that mixture silage with ratio of 40 : 20 : 40 with the addition of LAB inoculant had the best fermentation quality and nutrient digestibility than other silages

Effect of lactid acid bacteria inoculants, formic acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate on fermentation quality and aerobic stability of wilted grass silage

The efficiency of a novel strain of lactic acid bacteria inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum VTT E-78076, E76) on the fermentation quality of wilted silage was studied. Furthermore, the possibility to improve aerobic stability of silages by combining an inoculant and chemical preservatives was investigated. Two experiments were conducted with wilted timothy-meadow fescue herbage (dry matter 429 and 344 g kg-1) using six treatments. In experiment I, E76 (106 cfu g-1 fresh matter (FM)) was applied alone and in combination with sodium benzoate (0.3 g kg-1 grass FM) or low rate of formic acid (0.4 l t-1 FM). In experiment II, E76 and a commercial inoculant were applied alone and in combination with sodium benzoate. Untreated silage and formic acid (4 l t-1 FM) treated silage served as negative and positive controls in both experiments. The effect of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in experiment I, on aerobic stability was tested by treating silages prior to aerobic stability measurements. The novel lactic acid bacteria inoculant was equally effective in improving fermentation quality as the commercial inoculant. However, the aerobic stability of both inoculated silages was poorer than that of formic acid treated or the untreated one in one of the experiments. The results suggested that antimicrobial properties of E76 were not effective enough to improve aerobic instability. One option to overcome this problem is to use chemical additives in combination with the inoculants

Improvement of Napier Grass Silage Nutritive Value by Using Inoculant and Crude Enzymes From Trichoderma Reesei and Its Effect on in Vitro Rumen Fermentation

This research was aimed to evaluate the effect of inoculant and crude enzyme of Trichoderma reesei on fermentation quality and rumen digestibility of napier grass silage. This research consisted of two stages. The first stage was fermentation quality using a completely randomized design with three treatments and six replications. The second stage was rumen fermentability using a randomized block design with three treatments and six replications. The treatments of both stages were: T0= control of napier grass silage (Hi-fer+), T1= control + T. reesei inoculant at the level of 2.13 x 107 cfu/kg, and T2= control + crude enzyme from T. reesei at the level of 11.4 unit/kg. Napier grass silage were kept at room temperature and opened 21 d after fermentation. The result of the first stage experiment showed that T2 decreased (P<0.01) dry matter, organic matter, crude fiber, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and also increased (P<0.05) crude protein, total digestible nutrient (TDN), pH, acetic acid, and propionic acid of napier grass silage while T1 decreased (P<0.01) NDF and increased (P<0.05) propionic acid. The result of the second stage experiment showed that there were no significant differences in rumen pH, in vitro dry matter and organic matter digestibility, total VFA, proportion of VFA, ratio of acetic to propionic acids, and also NH3. It is concluded that the addition of crude enzyme from T. reesei could improve fermentation quality of napier grass silage with decreasing NDF and increasing TDN but did not affect rumen fermentability

Effects of the inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus of the genus Glomus on growth and leaf mineral concentrations of grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon)

The effects of root inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi (genus Glomus) on growth and leaf mineral concentrations of grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon) were studied under the growth conditions of Central Chile. Inoculation enhanced the uptake of N and K and vegetative growth but decreased the foliar concentration, but not necessarily the uptake of P

Effect of in-mould inoculant composition on microstructure and fatigue behaviour of heavy section ductile iron castings

In this paper, the influence of the in-mould inoculant composition on microstructure and fatigue behaviour of heavy section ductile iron (EN GJS 700-2) castings has been investigated. Axial fatigue tests under nominal load ratio R=0 have been performed on specimens taken from the core of large casting components. Metallographic analyses have been carried out by means of optical microscopy and important microstructural parameters that affect the mechanical properties of the alloy, such as nodule count, nodularity and graphite shape, were measured. Furthermore, Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to investigate the fracture surfaces of the samples in order to identify crack initiation and propagation zones. Cracks initiation sites have been found to be microshrinkages close to specimens\u2019 surface in most cases. It was found that in-mould inoculant composition strongly influences the alloy microstructure, such as nodule count and shrinkage porosities size, as well as the fatigue resistance of heavy section ductile iron castings

Manipulating the ensilage of wilted, unchopped grass through the use of additive treatments

peer-reviewedBaled silage composition frequently differs from that of comparable conventional precision-chop silage. The lower final concentration of fermentation products in baled silage makes it more conducive to the activities of undesirable microorganisms. Silage additives can be used to encourage beneficial microbial activity and/or inhibit detrimental microbial activity. The experiment was organised in a 2 (chop treatments) × 6 (additive treatments) × 2 (stages of ensilage) factorial arrangement of treatments (n = 3 silos/treatment) to suggest additive treatments for use in baled silage production that would help create conditions more inhibitory to the activities of undesirable microorganisms and realise an outcome comparable to precision-chop silage. Chopping the herbage prior to ensiling, in the absence of an additive treatment, improved the silage fermentation. In the unchopped herbage, where the fermentation was poorer, the lactic acid bacterial inoculant resulted in an immediate increase (P < 0.001) in lactic acid concentration and a faster decline (P < 0.001) in pH with a subsequent reduction in butyric acid (P < 0.001) and ammonia-N (P < 0.01) concentrations. When sucrose was added in addition to the lactic acid bacterial inoculant, the combined treatment had a more pronounced effect on pH, butyric acid and ammonia-N values at the end of ensilage. The formic acid based additive and the antimicrobial mixture restricted the activities of undesirable microorganisms resulting in reduced concentrations of butyric acid (P < 0.001) and ammonia-N (P < 0.01). These additives offer a potential to create conditions in baled silage more inhibitory to the activities of undesirable microorganisms.A Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Research Scholarship awarded to J. McEniry supported this study

Diversity and Dynamics of Indigenous \u3cem\u3eRhizobium japonicum\u3c/em\u3e Populations

A simple method, based upon the separation of cellular proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, has been devised for distinguishing between isolates of Rhizobium japonicum. Eleven laboratory strains, previously classified into five serogroups, were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Groups determined subjectively according to protein patterns matched the serogroups, with one exception. Most strains within serogroups could be distinguished from one another. For studying the ecology of Rhizobium, an important advantage of this technique compared with serology or phage typing is that it discriminates among previously unencountered indigenous bacterial isolates as well as among known laboratory strains. SDS-gels were used to analyze the Rhizobium population of 500 nodules, sampled throughout the growing season, from soybeans at two different Wisconsin localities. Although the soybeans had been inoculated with laboratory strains of R. japonicum, indigenous R. japonicum predominated. At one location, 19 indigenous gel types were distinguished and classified mainly into four groups. At the other location, 18 gel types, falling mainly into three groups, were detected. The predominance of a particular group varied, in some cases dramatically, depending upon the time and depth of nodule formation

Effect of mould inoculation on formation of chunky graphite in heavy section spheroidal graphite cast iron parts

The manufacturing process of heavy section ductile iron castings is strongly influenced by the risk of graphite degeneration under slow cooling rates. Appearance of this kind of defect is commonly linked to significant reductions in the mechanical properties of large castings. Studies on the effect of inoculation on chunky graphite formation in heavy sections have led to contradictory results in the literature and this triggered the present work. New experimental data are presented on the effect of mould inoculation on chunky graphite appearance during solidification of nodular irons which clearly demonstrate that mould inoculation increases the risk of chunky graphite formation in heavy sections. This is in agreement with some previous works which are reviewed, and it is suggested that the contradiction with other results could relate to the fact that these latter works dealt with chill casting