Abstract
The objective of this study was to make high quality silages in fermentation and crude protein from tropical forage legume sesbania (Sesbania cannabina (Retz.) Poir.) .
Fermentation qualities of sesbania silages were examined for treatments with; the addition, at fresh weight basis, of water (control: 3 %), glucose (GLU: 1 %), the juice of lactic acid bacteria (LB: 1×104cfu/g), the fermented juice of lactic acid bacteria (FLB: 1×104 cfu/g), LB+GLU or FLB+GLU. FLB was prepared from the pre-incubation of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum) in GYP medium for 18 hours. Silage materials of sesbania were harvested at 3 different growth stages (70, 84 and 98 days after seeding) from the experimental field at Kyushu University. Sesbania was cut into 3-4 cm lengths, and treated with either GLU, LB, LB+GLU, FLB or FLB+GLU . In each treatment materials were ensiled into a laboratory silo (1.0 liter polyethylene container) and stored at 25°C for 34 or 35 days. After opening the silos, pH, total nitrogen (TN), volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), lactic acid (LA) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were determined.
The fermentation quality of the control silage from 84-day growth showed low LA content and high VBN/TN. The VFA content and VBN/TN of the control silage from 70-day growth were lower compared with the other two control silages from 84 and 98 days. The treatment with GLU or LB was effective for increasing LA content and decreasing pH and VFA content. The silage treated with LB+GLU showed higher quality and the treatment with FLB+GLU was the most effective for LA fermentation in the present study.
