A lower cost method of preparing corn stover for Irpex lacteus treatment by ensiling with lactic acid bacteria

Objective: This study investigated a method of preparing corn stover for Irpex lacteus treatment to improve its in vitro rumen degradability under non-sterile conditions. Methods: Corn stover was inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, and an equal mixture of these strains, and the stover was ensiled for 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. After each period of time, a portion of the silage was sampled, to assess the silage quality, and another portion of the silage was further treated with I. lacteus at 28 °C for 28 d. All of the samples were analyzed for fermentation quality, chemical composition, and in vitro gas production (IVGP) as a measure of rumen fermentation capacity. Results: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was found to improve the silage quality of the corn stover, and the corn stover silage inoculated with L. plantarum produced more lactic acid and higher IVGP than other silage groups. The I. lacteus colonies flourished on in the early stage of corn stover silage, especially on the 3-d corn stover silage inoculated with both L. plantarum and L. buchneri. This led to an 18% decrease in the acid detergent lignin (ADL) content, and a 49.6% increase in IVGP compared with the raw stover. Conclusion: The combination of ensiling with the mixed LAB inoculation and I. lacteus treatment provided a cost-effective method for the improvement of the IVGP of corn stover from 164.8 ml/g OM to 246.6 ml/g OM.