Effects of Different Lactic Acid Bacteria Inoculants on Alfalfa Silage Fermentation and Quality

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a crucial perennial forage plant with high protein and mineral content and may be mowed several times through the vegetation period. Along with having a large cultivation area in Turkiye, it constitutes approximately 61% of the total green forage produced. Silage is the most effective method for preserving herbage and using it as a source of roughage throughout the year. However, ensiling alfalfa, especially with low dry matter (DM) content, is difficult due to its low water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and buffering capacity. This study was carried out to improve the alfalfa plant's silage fermentation process by inoculating new lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. When the alfalfa plant reached 50% flowering, six different LAB strains were inoculated and compared with the uninoculated alfalfa silage. According to the results obtained, it was determined that LAB inoculants improved the fermentation properties of alfalfa silage in general. All inoculated strains caused a significant decrease in the pH of the resulting silage. The strain Lactobacillus buchneri (LS-31-1-4) was superior in terms of DM recovery (96.82%) and protein recovery (94.00%). At the same time, Lactobacillus brevis (LS-55-2-2) and Leuconostoc citerum (LS-70-6-1) were the most restrictive strains of yeast and enterobacteria growth in silage, respectively.