Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria Inoculants and Stage-Increased Storage Temperature on Silage Fermentation of Oat on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Abstract

Ensiling is a simple and effective method of alleviating a shortage of forage for ruminants. This study aimed to investigate the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants and stage-increased temperature on the fermentation characteristics and chemical composition of oat silage on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The silage was treated with local laboratory inoculant (I) and commercial inoculant (S) and stored at ambient temperature (<10 °C) or stage-increased (5, 10 and 15 days) temperatures of 10 °C and 15 °C for 60 days. The results showed that stage-increased storage temperature can improve silage fermentation. Compared with 10 °C, a stage-increased storage temperature of 15 °C effectively (p < 0.05) promoted the fermentation rate of silage by increasing the dominance of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, with higher lactic, acetic and propionic acid contents and a lower ammonia-N ratio of the total N and final pH value. Compared with S, treatment with I increased the water-soluble carbohydrate and lactic acid contents and decreased the ammonia-N ratio of the total N and final pH value. This work demonstrated that increasing the storage temperature in stages using a warming infrastructure facilitates the preservation of oat silage in cold regions, and the inoculation of lactic acid bacteria could advance silage fermentation on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.