Abstract
Sunn hemp (SH, Crotalaria juncea, L.) is a tropical multiple-purpose legume. The green manure SH (GMSH) crop might display protein ecology in sustaining ruminants; however, its silage features remain unclear. To efficiently prepare GMSH crop silage, additive treatments consisting of control (no additive, CON), molasses (MO), Acremonium cellulase (AC), and Lactobacillus casei TH14 strain inoculant (TH14) were implemented using a completely randomized design. Repeated measurements were done after silage (AE conditions) in a small-scale silo system for 120 days and after aerobic instability (AE + AIS conditions). Briefly, ensiling loss and aerobic stability ranged from 150 to 175 g/kg and 8.3 to 104 days, respectively. In AE conditions, the pH ranged from 4.33 to 5.74, and MO or AC was desirable (p < 0.01) for lactic acid fermentation. AC reduced the fiber contents. MO increased soluble non-protein nitrogen by decreasing insoluble nitrogen. TH14 increased the ammonia nitrogen level and in vitro methane production. In AE + AIS conditions, AC led to more air damage to the chemical compositions and reduced digestibility in vitro. The results show that an optimization of additives could effectively modify GMSH crop silage to make it a good protein roughage source; however, more studies are required for effectively feeding ruminants.
Highlights
Sunn hemp (SH, Crotalaria juncea, L.) is an annual legume originating from India [1].This plant species grows fast, has high seed yield, is tolerant of low fertilizer conditions, and is harvested or plowed into soil
This study characterizes green manure SH (GMSH) crop silage prepared with some additives
The results demonstrate that an optimization of molasses, Acremonium cellulase, and TH14 strain could effectively improve the ensiling characteristics of GMSH crop silage, resulting in a greater protein roughage source
Summary
Sunn hemp (SH, Crotalaria juncea, L.) is an annual legume originating from India [1]. This plant species grows fast, has high seed yield, is tolerant of low fertilizer conditions, and is harvested or plowed into soil. SH is widely used for green manure, land cover crops, oil seed, forage, and tourism (for its full yellow flower bloom). The root nodules of SH increase atmospheric nitrogen (N) fixation with increasing age, and the parts above ground contain nutrients and high crude protein (CP) content as a leguminous material [2]. Green manure SH (GMSH) crop materials are potent and cheap for use in meat and milk production by ruminants. The use of SH as forage crop is increasing in Thailand; more information is needed for efficient utilization in animals [3]
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