Potential of the Locally Produced Lactobacillus Inoculants in Ensiling Guinea Grass (Megathyrsus maximus) Forage

Lactic acid bacteria inoculants are employed to accelerate forage ensiling ensuring silage quality. Inoculants for ensiling are not produced locally and are restricted for importation in Sri Lanka. This study evaluated the potential of locally produced, freeze-dried Lactobacillus inoculants containing Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus , and Lactobacillus oris, on ensiling of guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) forage. The experiment was conducted as a complete randomized design (CRD). Guinea grass forage harvested at the 10 % flowering stage were chopped and inoculated with each Lactobacillus (i.e. treatments ) species (i.e. 10⁶ CFU/g fresh forage) or sprayed with deionized water (i.e. control). Six laboratory silos were prepared with each inoculant and one silo was the control. Silage samples were taken from 3 silos opened at 2 weeks and from the remaining 3 silos at 52 weeks post-ensiling. All samples were assessed for pH value and lactic acid content. In addition, the samples taken at 52 weeks were analyzed for organic matter digestibility (OMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) content. Guinea grass ensiled with Lactobacillus exhibited significantly (P<0.05) high lactic acid content and low pH valu e compared to the control as early as 2 weeks ensiling. At 52 weeks, guinea grass inoculated with L. rhamnosus recorded, significantly (P<0.05) higher lactic acid content c ompared to that inoculated with L. plantarum. Nevertheless, at 52 weeks guinea grass ensiled with, both L. rhamnosus and L. oris recorded significantly lower (P<0.05) pH values than those inoculated with L. plantarum. Inoculation of guinea grass with Lactobacillus significantly (P<0.05) increased the OMD and ME content of silage. This study concluded that locally produced, freeze-dried L. rhamnosus, and L. oris inoculants have the potential to enhance the ensiling guinea grass.