Investigation the Effects of Bacterial Additive and Moisture Absorbent on the Fermentability and Nutrient Composition of Potato Silage

Potato dry matter is mainly composed of starch, which can be used in animal feed due to its high available energy. This study aimed to improve the quality of potato silage using wheat straw and additives containing Lactobacillus. This study was conducted in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 3 replications: 1- Potatoes without additives, control, (PS), 2- Potatoes mixed with wheat straw (90:10 ratio on a fresh basis) (PWS), 3- Potatoes inoculated with SiloOne additive (including Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus plantarium, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactic acid pediococcus and multivalent enzyme), (PLS), 4- Sliced potatoes with wheat straw (90:10 ratio on a fresh basis) and SiloOne additive (PWLS). The samples were stored in laboratory silos for 60 days at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. According to the results, there was a significant difference between the treatments in terms of pH, day matter (DM), ash and insoluble fiber in neutral and acidic detergents. The addition of wheat straw reduced the loss caused by silage effluent and increased dry matter (DM) recovery (P<0.01). The lactic acid concentration of inoculated silages (PLS and PWLS) was greater than non-inoculated silages (P<0.01). The lowest concentrations of acetic acid and propionic acid were observed in the treatment with wheat straw in the absence of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (PWS) (P<0.05). Concentrations of valeric acid and iso-valeric acid were not affected by wheat straw and inoculation with LAB (P>0.05). The results of this study showed that ensiling potatoes with a wheat straw reduces silage effluent losses and increases DM recovery. But the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of PWS were lower than PS. However, LAB inoculation improved the fermentation quality. The use of wheat straw along with LAB inoculation increased the ratio of lactic acid to total volatile fatty acids (VFA).