The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of microbial inoculant Silobac® (L. plantarum, P. pentosaceus) on alfalfa haylage, in twenty-two big bales, allotted to two treatment, eleven with inoculant and eleven control, assigned to a totally randomized design. Alfalfa crop was harvested at middle bloom stage and conditioned in silage bales of about 600 kg capacity and covered with white tube plastic film. Silage was sampled to proceed chemical analyses after each silo was opened. The inoculation decreased DM content (inoculated = 44.7 vs. control = 51.3%) and increased acetic acid content (2.35 vs. 0.89% DM), compared to control. Inoculant also showed decreasing mould on depth 10 cm, but not on depth 30 or 50 cm. Treatments did not influence crude protein (15.9 vs. 16.4% DM), NDIN (14.7 vs. 16.2% of total N), ADIN (11.2 vs. 11.6% of total N), NDF (47.1 vs. 46.7% DM), ADF (40.2 vs. 39.8% DM), cellulose (29.7 vs. 28.6% DM), hemicellulose (6.94 vs. 6.89% DM), ADL (10.4 vs. 11.1% DM), WSC (2.97 vs. 2.44% DM) and starch contents (0.82 vs. 0.69% DM), IVDMD (61.6 vs. 62.5% DM), buffering capacity (52.9 vs. 51.7 meq./100g DM), ethylic alcohol (0.018 vs. 0.024% DM), propionic (0.00 vs. 0.00% DM), butyric (0.00 vs. 0.00% DM) and lactic acids contents (5.62 vs. 4.45% DM), lactic:acetic ratio (4.57 vs. 4.87), pH (4.96 vs. 5.33), NH3-N content (8.19 vs. 5.21% of total N) or aerobic stability.
lactic acid bacteria; organic acids; Medicago sativa
