کد مقاله : BSA-002

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A. A. Rodríguez*1, Y. Acosta-Aragón2, and E. Valencia1, 1University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR, 2Biomin GmbH, Austria.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of the silage additive Biomin® BioStabil Mays (BSM, blend of homo- and heterofermentative bacteria) on the fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability of corn whole plant (QPM variety) growth and ensiled in Puerto Rico. Corn was harvested 75 d after planting and chopped finely. Prior to ensiling, the vegetative material was treated or not with BSM (1 x 105 cfu/ g silage). Treatments were applied to weighted portions of corn forage, manually mixed, and packed into PVC laboratory silos. Samples of fresh forage and triplicates silos of each treatment were taken at 0, 3, 45 and 90 d of fermentation, analyzed for pH, chemical composition, and fermentation products.

Statistical analysis was performed as a completely randomized design with a 2 by 4 factorial arrangement of treatments. Tukey t-test was used for mean separation. For aerobic stability determination, triplicate silos from each treatment were emptied after 45 and 90 d of ensiling, placed into styrofoam containers lined with a plastic bag and exposed to air for 5 d. Temperature was monitored every 6 hours during the 5 d with a thermometer embedded in the surface of the exposed silage. pH was measured after 0, 1, 3 and 5 d. Statistical analysis of pH data was performed as a completely randomized design with a 2 by 5 factorial arrangement of treatments. The same model was utilized for temperature data except that 19 times of aerobic exposure (hours) were utilized instead of 5 d. Tukey t-test was also used for mean comparison. BSM enhanced the fermentation characteristics of corn ensiled during 45 d as evidenced by lower pH (P<0.05) and higher lactic acid content (P<0.05). After 90 d of fermentation BSM lowered the ratio of NH3-N/total-N (P<0.05) as compared with corn ensiled without additive. After the opening of the silos at the d 45 and 90 the temperature of silages treated with BSM was lower than that of the control silage (P<0.05). In summary, BSM improved the fermentation characteristics and the aerobic stability of corn ensiled under tropical laboratory conditions.