Adding an appropriate proportion of exogenous Lactobacillus buchneri can effectively preserve the nutritional quality of Dactylis glomerata and improve its aerobic stability

Dactylis glomerata is a perennial cool-season forage widely grown in China, which is ideal for livestock. Previous studies have found that the proportion of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fresh and naturally fermented D. glomerata was remarkably low. In this study, we established six groups, namely, a natural fermentation group (CK, control without LAB additives) and five additive groups (T1B1, T1B3, T1B5, T1B9 and B groups, where T represented a compound LAB mixture composed of Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus and P. acidilactici in equal proportions. B represented of L. buchneri. The T1B1, T1B3, T1B5, T1B9 and B groups were created by combining the T and B LAB at ratios of 1:1, 1:3, 1:5, 1:9 and 0:10, respectively) to examine the impact of incorporating varying proportions of homofermentative and heterofermentative LAB on the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of D. glomerata. The results indicated that the fermentation quality and nutrient retention of D. glomerata silage in the T1B9 group were superior to other groups either after ensiling for 60 days or aerobic exposure for 8 days. The aerobic stability was enhanced while the fermentation attained its optimal state. The results suggest that the targeted addition of additives lacking LAB bacterial species based on the microbial community attached to the forage itself can effectively improve forage silage quality.