Effects of N Fertilization During Cultivation and Lactobacillus plantarum Inoculation at Ensiling on Chemical Composition and Bacterial Community of Mulberry Silage

• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.735767
• Publication Date: 2021-10-09T00:14:45Z
• Authors: Ping Li; Minghong You; Zhouhe Du; Yongxiang Lu; Chunyan Zuo; Man Zhao; Honglin Wang; Xu Yan; Chao Chen
• Keywords: Dry matter; Butyric acid; Horticulture; Acetic acid; bacterial community; Microbiology; Biochemistry; high throughput sequencing; Agricultural and Biological Sciences; Food science; Nutritional Strategies for Ruminant Health and Production; Inoculation; Genetics; Biology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; 2. Zero hunger; Silage; Ecological Mechanisms of Rice-Fish Farming Systems; Forage; Bacteria; Life Sciences; Lactic acid; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences; N fertilization; QR1-502; Agronomy; 6. Clean water; mulberry; Chemistry; Human fertilization; Poultry Production; FOS: Biological sciences; Animal Nutrition and Gut Health; 0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; Animal Science and Zoology; silage; Agronomy and Crop Science; Animal science; Lactobacillus plantarum

As unconventional forage source, mulberry (Morus alba L.) has been cultivated to alleviate animal feed shortages. This study aimed to investigate the effects of N fertilization during cultivation and Lactobacillus plantarum inoculation at ensiling on the chemical composition and bacterial community of mulberry silage. Mulberry was separately cultivated under two N fertilization rates (N1, 390 kg/ha/year; N2, 485 kg/ha/year) in 2016–2019, harvested on 30 April (the first-cut) and 15 June (the second-cut) in 2019, and then chopped for producing small bag silage. The silage was treated without (control) or with L. plantarum (LP, a recommended application rate of 105 cfu/g on fresh matter basis). After storage of 60 days in dark room at ambient temperature, silage was sampled for analysis of chemical and microbial compositions. Higher (P < 0.05) final pH value and acetic acid content and lower (P < 0.05) lactic acid content were found in silage of mulberry under N2 fertilization, resulting in more dry matter loss than that under N1 fertilization. Compared with control, inoculation of LP at ensiling increased (P < 0.05) lactic acid content and decreased (P < 0.05) final pH value, acetic acid and propionic acid contents of silage, by advancing the dominance of Lactobacillus and reducing the abundance of Enterococcus and Enterobacter. In particular, inoculation of LP at ensiling decreased (P < 0.05) dry matter loss and butyric acid content of first-cut silage. In conclusion, inoculation of LP at ensiling could reduce the undesirable effects from high N fertilization rate during cultivation on silage quality of mulberry harvested at different growing seasons.