ABSTRACT
Effects of additives and wilting on the fermentation quality, microbial counts, chemical composition of Rumex silage (Rumex patientia L. x Rumex tianschanicus Losinsk.)

Miaofen Chen1*, Qinzhuo Zhong1, Xinyao Li1, 2, Zengyang He1, Jiangfeng Zou1, Tao Jiang3, and Wei Liu1*
 
Edible grass (Rumex patientia L. × Rumex tianschanicus Losinsk.) represents novel food and feed resources, distinguished by their elevated water content (exceeding 90%). Consequently, wilting or mixed silage is essential for moisture reduction. We examined the impact of wilting duration and additives on the silage quality of edible grass. The study employed a two-factor completely randomized experimental design, with factor 1 comprising wilting durations of 9, 12, and 15 h, and factor 2 including no treatment (A), a commercial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) additive (B), molasses (C), and cellulase (D), with a fermentation period of 60 d. After successful fermentation, the fermentation quality, nutrient content, and microbial data of edible grass silage were analyzed. The results showed that after wilting for 9, 12, and 15 h, DM content of edible grass increased significantly (p < 0.01). Edible grass wilted for 12 h using LAB, molasses, and cellulase could significantly increase the number of LAB and lactic acid production (p < 0.05), increase the crude protein (CP) content of edible grass (p < 0.05), reduce the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content (p < 0.05), and increase the water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) content of molasses and cellulase except for the LAB (B) group (p < 0.05). The primary indications revealed that CP rose by 5.45%-13.71%, while NDF declined by 3.67%-10.12%. Therefore, wilting is an important way to utilize high-moisture feed resources such as edible grass, and using LAB microbial additives supplemented with molasses and cellulase and other additives can significantly improve the silage quality of edible grass, providing preliminary data support for the application of edible grass silage in ruminants.
Keywords: Edible grasses Rumex, lactic acid bacteria, silage, withering.
1Hunan Agricultural University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Changsha 410128, China.
2Hunan Jiuanhe Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changsha 410128, China.
3Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Academician Workstation, Nanchang 330004, China.
*Corresponding authors (weiliu@hunau.edu.cn; Miaofen_Chen@hunau.edu.cn)