. 2020 Oct 20;10:17782. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-74958-1

Table 2.

Effect of different additives on fermentation quality (g/kg DM) of alfalfa silage during ensiling.

Items	Treatment	Storage period				SEM	P-value
Items	Treatment	7	14	28	56	SEM	T	S	T × S
pH	CK	5.54^aA	5.30^aB	5.21^aC	5.28^aB	0.051	< 0.001	< 0.001	0.003
	LP	5.10^bA	4.99^bB	4.85^bC	4.80^bC
	S	4.34^cA	4.27^cB	4.19^cC	4.07^cD
	LP + S	4.20^dA	4.07^dB	4.03^dBC	3.98^dC
Lactic acid	CK	13.7^dC	19.4^dB	23.6^dA	13.4^dC	0.337	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
	LP	21.9^cC	27.4^cB	30.8^cA	31.1^cA
	S	45.9^bD	51.5^bC	60.5^bB	71.3^bA
	LP + S	65.8^aB	78.3^aA	79.1^aA	80.2^aA
Acetic acid	CK	16.6^aC	22.9^aB	24.2^aB	30.6^aA	0.078	0.003	< 0.001	< 0.001
	LP	12.3^bAB	12.0^cB	13.2^cAB	14.5^cA
	S	16.2^aC	18.0^bBC	18.9^bB	21.1^bA
	LP + S	11.2^bB	12.1^cA	12.5^cA	12.6^cA
LA/AA	CK	0.83^dA	0.85^cA	0.98^dA	0.44^dB	0.209	< 0.001	0.005	0.010
	LP	1.78^cC	2.28^bAB	2.33^cA	2.14^cB
	S	2.83^bB	2.86^bB	3.25^bAB	3.38^bA
	LP + S	5.88^aB	6.47^aA	6.32^aA	6.37^aA
PA	CK	0.75^aD	0.98^aC	1.35^aB	1.86^aA	0.065	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
	LP	0.07^cD	0.25^cC	0.43^cB	0.73^bA
	S	0.41^bB	0.78^bA	0.76^bA	0.87^bA
	LP + S	0.01^cC	0.12^cC	0.31^cB	0.49^cA
Butyric acid	CK	1.86^aD	3.05^aC	4.10^aB	6.67^aA	0.097	< 0.001	0.006	0.012
	LP	0.00^bB	0.12^bB	0.63^bA	0.85^bA
	S	0.00^b	0.00^c	0.00^c	0.00^c
	LP + S	0.00^b	0.00^c	0.00^c	0.00^c
NH₃–N (g/kg TN)	CK	87.2^aD	95.2^aC	108^aB	131^aA	0.537	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
	LP	36.1^bD	54.3^bC	65.7^bB	78.3^bA
	S	11.7^cC	16.2^cB	19.1^cB	23.1^cA
	LP + S	8.26^dC	12.8^dB	15.0^dAB	17.2^dA

^a-dMeans within a column with different superscripts differ (P < 0.05); ^A-E Means within a raw with different superscripts differ (P < 0.05). LP, Lactobacillus plantarum; S, sucrose; LP + S, the addition of both sucrose and Lactobacillus plantarum; TN, total nitrogen; DM, dry matter; FM, fresh matter; LA/AA: lactic to acetic ratio; PA, propionic acid; T: effect of treatment; S: effect of storage period; T × S: interaction between treatment and storage period; SEM, standard error of means.