TABLE 3.
Effect of microbial inoculation and storage length on the nutrient composition, yeast counts, and aerobic stability of whole-plant sorghum silage in experiment 1.
| Item1 | DM, % as fed | Ash, % DM | WSC, % DM | EE, % DM | CP, % DM | NDF, % DM | Yeast, log CFU/g | Aerobic stability, h |
| d 14 | ||||||||
| CON | 21.3 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 7.3 | 48.5 | 2.65 | 136 |
| LBLD | 21.2 | 5.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.9 | 61.8 | 5.40 | 157 |
| d 28 | ||||||||
| CON | 21.1a | 7.6 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 7.3 | 62.2 | 3.88 | 76b |
| LBLD | 20.4b | 6.2 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 7.6 | 61.5 | 2.47 | 123a |
| d 56 | ||||||||
| CON | 21.2a | 6.9 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 7.1 | 61.1 | 5.08 | 35b |
| LBLD | 19.6b | 6.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 7.5 | 64.4 | 3.14 | 191a |
| Storage length means | ||||||||
| d 14 | 21.3 | 6.2 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 55.1 | 4.03 | 147 |
| d 28 | 20.8 | 6.9 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 7.4 | 61.8 | 3.18 | 100 |
| d 56 | 20.4 | 6.8 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 7.3 | 62.7 | 4.11 | 113 |
| Microbial inoculation means | ||||||||
| CON | 21.2 | 7.1 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 7.2 | 57.3 | 3.88 | 82 |
| LBLD | 20.4 | 6.1 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 7.3 | 62.5 | 3.67 | 156 |
| SEM1 | 0.32 | 0.46 | 0.57 | 0.21 | 0.23 | 5.82 | 1.46 | 24.59 |
| P-Value | ||||||||
| SL | 0.01 | 0.12 | 0.49 | 0.11 | 0.26 | 0.37 | 0.62 | 0.04 |
| MI | 0.001 | 0.01 | 0.16 | 0.43 | 0.46 | 0.28 | 0.82 | 0.001 |
| SL × MI | 0.01 | 0.25 | 0.99 | 0.61 | 0.07 | 0.47 | 0.07 | 0.01 |
a,b Means with different superscripts within the same day denote an effect of microbial inoculation within that day.
1MI: effect of microbial inoculant (50 ml of distilled water or 300,000 CFU/g wet forage of L. plantarum DSM 21762, L. buchneri DSM 12856, and L. diolivorans DSM 32074 [Provita Supplements Inc., Mendota Heights, MN]); SL: effect of storage length (14, 28, and 56 d).
2 Greatest standard error of the mean.