Effect Of Microbial Inoculation Research Articles

Effect of microbial inoculants on fermentation quality and aerobic stability of sweet potato vine silage.

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to evaluate the effect of homo or hetero fermentative inoculants on fermentation quality and aerobic stability of sweet potato vine (SPV) silage containing Italian ryegrass hay as moisture absorbent.MethodsThe SPV was harvested at 15% dry matter, mixed with Italian ryegrass hay at 1:1 ratio on a fresh weight basis, and chopped to 3 to 5 cm length. After then, the chopped forage mixture was ensiled into 20-L mini silos in quadruplicate for 7, 48, and 100 days after application of microbial inoculants at 1.2×105 colony forming units (cfu)/g of forage following: no inoculant (CON), Lactobacillus plantarum as a homo fermentative (LP), Lactobacillus buchneri as a hetero fermentative (LB), and mixture of LP and LB at 1:1 ratio as a combo fermentative (MIX).ResultsThe LP and MIX silages had lowest pH (p<0.001) on 7 and 48 days, while MIX and CON silages had greatest lactate concentrations (p<0.05) on 7 and 48 days, respectively. Acetate concentrations were highest (p<0.01) in LB and MIX silages on 7 days, and in LB silage on 48 days, while lactate to acetate ratios were lowest (p<0.001) in LB silages. The chemical compositions and nutrient digestibility of silage ensiled for 100 days was not affected by inoculants. On 100 days of ensiling, LB silage had lowest (p<0.01) lactate concentration and lactate to acetate ratio, but highest acetate concentration. Aerobic stability was highest (p<0.001) in LB silage followed in MIX silage. On contrast, LB silage had lowest (p<0.05) lactic acid bacteria and mold.ConclusionThe results indicated that application of LB solely had a better effect on aerobic stability than not only LP, but also MIX. However, LP application did not show beneficial effects from the viewpoints of fermentation quality and aerobic stability compared to CON.

In situ degradation, ruminal fermentation, and the rumen bacterial community of cattle fed corn stover fermented by lignocellulolytic microorganisms

Fifteen ruminally-fistulated Jilin Grassland red cattle (shorthorn ♂ × Mongolia yellow cattle♀ F2; 500 ± 10.0 kg) were used to evaluate the effect of corn stover fermented by lignocellulolytic microorganisms on the in situ degradation, ruminal fermentation, and rumen bacterial community. Among them, three cattle were used to determine the kinetic parameters of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) degradation of fermented corn stover (FCS) and corn stover silage (CSS) ensiled with and without lignocellulolytic microorganisms. Twelve cattle were randomly assigned to two groups: the control group fed CSS, and the treatment group fed FCS. The diets consisted of forage (FCS or CSS) and concentrate (corn-soybean meal diet) in a proportion of 60:40 on a DM basis. The FCS group displayed higher effective degradability of DM (p < 0.01) and NDF (p < 0.1) than the CSS group. After feeding for 21 days, the mean ruminal pH was lower in FCS cattle (p < 0.05), but the NH3–N concentration was higher in the FCS group (p < 0.05). The concentrations of ruminal total volatile fatty acids, acetate and propionate were also significantly higher in the FCS group (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the concentration of butyrate or the ratio of acetate-to-propionate between FCS and CSS cattle. Ruminal bacterial diversity was higher in the FCS group (p < 0.05). All samples were dominated by four phyla; Bacteroidetes, Lentisphaerae, Firmicutes and Fibrobacteres, which together accounted for>77% of the total bacterial abundance. Within Bacteroidetes, the abundance of Prevotella increased by 65.6% and 53.1% from day 0 to day 21 in the FCS and CSS groups, respectively. Fibrobacter abundance decreased by 29.9% in the CSS group but changed much less in the FCS group. This study demonstrated a positive effect of microbial inoculants upon the function of cellulose- and hemicellulose-degrading bacteria. We concluded that improvement in the quality of fermented corn stover increases the absorption of nutrients by cattle. Furthermore, FCS altered rumen fermentation by increasing the abundance of the dominant Prevotella genus, and stabilizing the rumen microbial ecosystem.

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Effects of Microbial Inoculant on Physical and Chemical Properties in Pig Manure Composting

ABSTRACTEffects of one commercial microbial inoculant (named VT microbial inoculant) on the composting of pig manure were studied. Two treatment piles were prepared in this study, in which one pile was inoculated with VT and another pile without VT. The results indicated that inoculation could accelerate the temperature rising at the start of composting. Based on the chemical parameters, the VT treatment showed higher N, P2O5, K2O, and macronutrient (NPK) content than the CK treatment. The statistical analysis showed that the P2O5, K2O, and NPK content had a significant difference (P < 0.05) between VT and CK treatments at the end of composting, which showed that VT inoculant accelerated the transformation of macronutrient in the end compost product. The changes of total organic carbon indicated that VT additive could accelerate the decomposition of organic carbon, which had a significant difference (P = 0.023) compared with CK. At the end of the composting, the germination index value of VT treatment (80%) was higher than the control (60%). These results suggested that the inoculation of VT microbial agent was a feasible strategy to convert animal wastes into compost efficiently.

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This study aimed at selecting an effective microbial inoculum to enhance the performance of Senegalia senegal, Vachellia seyal and Prosopis juliflora and assessing the combination effect of microbial inoculation and peanut shells amendment on their growth under salinity in greenhouse conditions. In the first experiment, seedlings were individually cultivated in plastic bags containing non-sterile sandy soil. Seedlings were inoculated at transplantation with rhizobial and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) strains. Four inoculation treatments were performed: control, inoculation with rhizobia, inoculation with AMF and dual-inoculation with rhizobia and AMF. After one month, seedlings were gradually watered with four saline solutions (0, 86, 171 and 257 mM NaCl) for 4 months. ANOVA showed that inoculation treatments significantly increased seedlings growth particularly in saline conditions and the best performance was obtained with dual inoculation. In the second experiment, seedlings were grown under the same experimental conditions on a mixture of non-sterile sandy soil and 6 tha-1 (169.56 g per bag) of peanut shells var 73-33. Results showed that inoculation, peanut shells and their combination significantly improved seedlings growth. The higher performance was obtained with the combination of microbial inoculation and peanut shells. &nbsp; Key words: Mycorrhiza, rhizobia, organic amendment, Senegalia senegal, Vachellia seyal, Prosopis juliflora, salt tolerance.

Efficiency of microbial inoculation for a cleaner composting technology

There are contrasting opinions on the utilisation of microbial inoculant (MI) as a bioremediation technology for composting. The effectiveness can be affected by a diversity of factors, and the reproducibility of results can be a great challenge. This study aims to review the effectiveness of MI, specified as isolated or cultured single and consortium micro-organisms, for composting, with the main component of lignocellulosic waste (LW) and the organic portion of municipal solid waste (OPMSW). The potential for the enhancing effect of each parameter, i.e. compost quality parameters: pH, germination index, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, potassium content, C/N ratio; composting parameters: temperature, odour, enzymatic activities, organic matter content, microbial population, volume reduction, humification, is discussed and evaluated. Based on 13 analysed parameters, the use of MI tends to exert a significant positive effect on the composting of LW compared to that of OPMSW. There has not been a full consensus on the efficiency of MI for composting as it varies on a case-by-case basis. A decision framework is required for the application of MI for different composting scenarios. This overview proposes MI technology, which has been generally less practical than optimising the physicochemical parameters of the composting due to the higher variation in the composting efficiency. Comprehensive comparison studies between the two approaches are needed for further verification which can contribute to the support of composting as a clean technology. The unnecessary uses of resources (e.g. MI, electric, fuel) can consequently be avoided for environmental footprint minimisation.

Microbial inoculation of Rhizobium and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria along with inorganic fertilizers for sustainable yield of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill

ABSTRACTA field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of microbial inoculants and inorganic fertilizers for sustaining the yield of soybean. Application of 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) gave significantly highest yield (2433 kg ha−1) over 75% RDF (2317 kg ha−1) and without RDF (2205 kg ha−1). Seeds inoculated with Rhizobium (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (2480 kg ha−1) gave significantly highest soybean yield over without inoculation (2191 kg ha−1). Rhizobium and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria with 100% RDF (2674 kg ha−1) gave significantly highest seed yield than rest of the treatment combinations. Root nodules and their dry weight were remained un-influenced due to fertilizer levels, whereas in bio-fertilizers, it was significantly higher with Rhizobium inoculation (24.3 and 408 mg, respectively) followed by dual inoculation of Rhizobium and PSB. 100% RDF and dual inoculation with Rhizobium and PSB earned Rs. 47916/- and Rs. 51182/- net returns per ha, respectively.

Effect of Microbial inoculation in combating the aluminium toxicity effect on growth of Zea mays.

The present study is aimed at improving the aluminium tolerance in maize crop employing the potential of microbial inoculants in conferring resistance to these toxicities via production of certain chelating compounds like siderophores, exopolysachharides and organic acids. Acid soils have now-a-days become one of the key factors for limiting growth of many agriculturally important crops. Aluminium is one of the major elements present in acid soils and is mainly responsible for toxicity in the soil. This aluminium is rapidly soluble in soil water and hence absorbed by plant roots under conditions where soil pH is below 5. This toxicity leads to severe root growth inhibition, thereby limiting the production of maize crops. It was observed that use of microbial inoculums can be helpful in elimination of these toxic compounds and prevent the inhibition of root growth . It was found that the soils contaminated with aluminium toxicity decreased the root length of maize plant significantly by 65% but Bacillus and Burkholderia inoculation increased this root length significantly by 1.4- folds and 2- folds respectively thereby combating the effect of aluminium toxicity. Aluminium concentration was found maximum in roots of plants which were grown under aluminium stress condition. But this aluminium accumulation decreased ̴ 2-folds when Burkholderia was used as seed inoculants under aluminium stress conditions. Also, at 60mM aluminium accumulation, phosphorus solubilisation in roots was found to be increased upto 30% on Burkholderia inoculation. However, Bacillus inoculation didn't show any significant difference in either of the case. Thus, the inoculation of seeds with Burkholderia isolates could prove to be a boon in sequestering aluminium toxicity in Zea mays.

Studies on the Effect of Microbial Inoculants on Growth and Yield of Capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.)

Studies on the Effect of Microbial Inoculants on Growth and Yield of Capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.)

Impact of Crop Production Inputs on Soil Health: A Review

External crop production inputs such as mineral fertilizers, organic amendments, microbial inoculants and pesticides are applied with the ultimate goal of maximizing productivity and economic returns, while side effects on soil health are often neglected. This study summarized the current understanding of how crop production inputs affect soil health (soil physical, chemical and biological properties). Mineral fertilizers have limited direct (such as soil physical property) effects but their application can enhance soil biological activity via increases in system productivity, crop residue return and soil organic matter. Another important indirect effect such as N fertilization is soil acidification, with considerable negative effects on soil health such as on amount, activity and diversity of organisms. Organic amendments such as manure, compost, biosolids and humic substances provide a direct source of C for soil organisms as well as an indirect C source via increased plant growth and plant residue returns. Non-target effects of microbial inoculants appear to be small and transient. Among the pesticides, herbicides have few significant effects on soil health, whereas negative effects of insecticides and fungicides are more common and their application warrants strict regulation. The sound management of crop production inputs must attempt to ensure both an enhanced and safeguarded environment; therefore, an Integrated Pest and Nutrient Management (IPNM) strategy that combines the use of chemical, organic crop production inputs together with cultural practices must be developed and evaluated as suggested by Integrated Pest and Nutrient Management Protocols (IPNMP).

Temperature control strategy to enhance the activity of yeast inoculated into compost raw material for accelerated composting

The effects of inoculating the mesophilic yeast Pichia kudriavzevii RB1, which is able to degrade organic acids, on organic matter degradation in composting were elucidated. When model food waste with high carbohydrate content (C/N=22.3) was used, fluctuation in the inoculated yeast cell density was observed, as well as fluctuation in the composting temperature until day 5 when the temperature rose to 60°C, which is lethal for the yeast. After the decrease in yeast, acetic acid accumulated to levels as high as 20mg/g-ds in the composting material and vigorous organic matter degradation was inhibited. However, by maintaining the temperature at 40°C for 2days during the heating phase in the early stage of composting, both the organic acids originally contained in the raw material and acetic acid produced during the heating phase were degraded by the yeast. The concentration of acetic acid was kept at a relatively low level (10.1mg/g-ds at the highest), thereby promoting the degradation of organic matter by other microorganisms and accelerating the composting process. These results indicate that temperature control enhances the effects of microbial inoculation into composts.

Evaluation of Microbial Inoculation Technology for Composting

Utilisation of microbial inoculant (MI) in composting is a bioremediation technology aiming to enhance the degradation rate and the compost quality. There is a diverse opinion about the effectiveness of MI in composting. The reproducibility of the results is a great challenge notably for an open composting system compared to a closed in-vessel system. Its efficiency is expected to be affected by the starting materials and the operating conditions. Optimising the physicochemical parameters during composting, i.e. the initial C:N, pH values, moisture content and aeration during composting was reported to be more crucial than the role of MI. This study aims to review the effectiveness of MI for the composting of two types of starting materials, i.e. the organic portion of municipal solid waste (OP-MSW) and lignocellulosic waste (LW). The potential effects of MI to enhance the composting parameters are presented. It is found that the effectiveness of MI to facilitate the composting process is depending on the type of wastes to be managed and the aims to improve the targeted quality of composting. The use of MI tends to exert a more significant positive effect on the composting of LW than the OP-MSW. There is no absolute consensus on the efficiency of MI for composting as it varies on a case-by-case basis. A decision framework is needed for the application of MI for different composting scenarios.

Microbial inoculation of seeds characteristically shapes the rhizosphere microbiome in desi and kabuli chickpea types

Chickpea is generally cultivated after seed treatment with host-specific Mesorhizobium ciceri, the nitrogen-fixing bacterium forming root nodules. Some species of free-living cyanobacteria are capable of nitrogen fixation. We examined the rhizosphere microbiota changes and the potential for plant growth promotion by applying a free-living, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium and the biofilm formulation of cyanobacterium with M. ciceri, relative to M. ciceri applied singly, to two each of desi and kabuli varieties of chickpea. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles of archaeal, bacterial and cyanobacterial communities and those of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were obtained to evaluate the changes of the microbial communities in the chickpea rhizosphere. Plant growth attributes, including the pod yields and the availabilities of soil macronutrients and micronutrients, were monitored. The DGGE profiles showed distinct and characteristic changes due to the microbial inoculation; varietal differences exerted a marked influence on the archaeal and cyanobacterial communities. However, bacterial communities were modulated more by the type of microbial inoculants. Abundance of Gram-negative bacteria (in terms of notional PLFAs) differed between the desi and the kabuli varieties inoculated with M. ciceri alone, and the principal component analysis of PLFA profiles confirmed the characteristic effect of microbial inoculants tested. Microbial inoculation led to increases in the 100-seed weight and differential effects on the concentrations of available nitrogen and phosphorus, and those of iron, zinc and copper, suggesting their increased cycling in the rhizosphere. Microbial inoculation of chickpea brought out the characteristic changes in rhizosphere microbiota. Consequently, the growth promotion of chickpea and nutrient cycling in its rhizosphere distinctively differed. Further studies are needed to analyse the association and dynamic changes in the microbial communities to define the subset of microorganisms selected by chickpea in its rhizosphere and the influence of microbial inoculation.

Effect of organic amendments and microbial application on sodic soil properties and growth of an aromatic crop

In this experiment, we studied the effects of microbial inoculation, vermicompost and sludge application on physical, chemical and microbial properties of sodic soil and growth of Ocimum basilicum (holy basil). Sodic soil collected from natural field was amended with two bacterial strains A and C (isolated from the same soil), vermicompost and tannery sludge @ 5tha−1 upto 0–15cm soil depth of field buried cement barrels (125cm height, 49.5cm diameter) in such a way that nine treatments (control sodic soil (T0), vermicompost or VC (T1), VC+strain A (T2), VC+strain C (T3), VC+strain A and C (T4), tannery sludge or TS (T5), TS+strain A (T6), TS+strainC (T7), and TS+strain A and C (T8) were formed. After application of these treatments, soil was incubated for one month at constant moisture. After one month of incubation period, 35 days old seedlings of O. basilicum were planted in barrels. Significant changes in soil properties (physico-chemical, microbial and enzyme activities), due to application of microbes and organic amendments, were observed after one month of incubation (AIS) and at crop harvest (ACH). On an average soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium (Na), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN), soil respiration (SR), microbial quotient (Cmic:Corg), and metabolic quotient (qCO2) were significantly higher in incubated soils than crop harvested soils. Study concludes that use of vermicompost, sludge and microbial inoculants increase soil fertility and enhance yield and oil quality of Ocimum basilicum. Furthermore, incubation for one month before crop plantation was sufficient time for amendments to facilitate changes in sodic soil properties.

Effect of microbial-inoculants on growth and biochemical parameters of mango plantlets during bio-hardening

Present investigation was carried out to find out the effects of bio-agents on growth and biochemical changes during bio-hardening of in vitro embryo cultured plantlets of mango genotypes Amrapali, Pusa Arunima and hybrid 8–11. In vitro raised plantlets were subjected to bio-hardening using three microbial, Aspergillus niger and microbial consortium (mixed AMF strains, Nutrilink®). Plants treated with bio-inculants had 4.8 to 19.98 per cent more plant height compared to control. Similarly, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, leaf number and secondary roots were significantly increased by mycorrhizal inoculation compared to control plants. The histo-chemical studies revealed that the mycorrhizal inoculation resulted in enhanced accumulation of different metabolites such as chlorophyll, total phenols, total sugars, while the proline accumulation was reduced during bio-hardening. The poly-phenol oxidase enzymes like catacholase and cresolase activities were enhanced by microbe inoculation. The mycorrhizal plantlets showed enhanced survival and improved tolerance against stresses experienced during acclimatization phase.

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHANGES DURING CO-COMPOSTING OF MODEL KITCHEN WASTE, RICE BRAN AND DRIED LEAVES WITH DIFFERENT MICROBIAL INOCULANTS

Disposal of food waste either by land-filling or incineration will cause environmental pollution and engaged in high treatment cost. Composting can be a viable food waste management, however, less research works have focused on the degradation of small scale kitchen waste. In this study, co-composting of model kitchen waste, dried leaves and rice bran were inoculated with four different sources of microbial inoculants (MI) namely commercial Effective Microorganism (EM), Tempeh, Tapai, a mixture of Tempeh and Tapai and water as a control. It was found that the temperature of all four composting materials with MI can be heated up to a higher temperature (>50 °C) than the control and produced less offensive smells. All composts ended with a neutral or weakly alkaline pH value (pH 7 - 8) and a C:N ratio of around 10 which indicating the maturation of composts. For enzymatic activities, the highest activity of amylase (73 - 129 U/g) and cellulase (75 - 148 U/g) occurred at the beginning of the composting process. The maximum activities of lipase (5 - 10 U/g) and protease (46 - 72 U/g) were at the middle stage of the composting process. The germination indexes of the five composts were larger than 100 indicating non-phytotoxic. Although the temperature profile and odour performance were outstanding in the presence of MI, most other parameters did not show significant differences when co-compositing of small scale model kitchen waste was carried out with an adequate initial C:N ratio and moisture content. Further study is needed to distinguish the potential beneficiary effects of MI for the composting of kitchen waste. Nevertheless, the comparable performance of Tempeh and Tapai with EM in composting suggested that Tempeh and Tapai can be used to substitute the function of EM as a cheaper and more available microbial source for the household.

Microbial Inoculants with Multifaceted Traits Suppress Rhizoctonia Populations and Promote Plant Growth in Cotton

AbstractThe suppressive effects of microbial inoculants on cotton seedling mortality were assessed in Rhizoctonia solani‐infested soil. Per cent mortality ranged from 16 to 32 (60–120 days after sowing, DAS) and significant differences were recorded at 120 DAS, especially after drenching with compost tea of Azotobacter sp. and Anabaena torulosa—Trichoderma viride‐biofilmed formulations. The activity of hydrolytic enzymes was reduced in diseased root tissues due to a majority of the microbially inoculated treatments, compared with healthy root tissues. Per cent changes in the amounts of glomalin‐related soil proteins (GRSPs) were 2 to 85% greater than those of the uninoculated experimental controls. These microbial inoculants altered the rhizosphere bacterial communities as evident from the Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) banding patterns and, also reduced the population of R. solani. While the copy numbers of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene of R. solani in the uninoculated (infested soil) were approximately 1.47 × 1011 per g soil, they were 1.34–1.42 × 105 per g soil after the application of A. torulosa, Anabaena laxa and A. torulosa–Bacillus sp. Increases in yield (ranging from 3 to 23%) due to various microbial inoculants relative to uninoculated controls illustrated their promise as plant growth‐promoting and disease‐suppressing agents. This study illustrates the modulation of rhizosphere ecology through microbial inoculants as a mechanism of disease suppression and sustaining plant growth.

Synergistic influence of Vetiveria zizanioides and selected rhizospheric microbial strains on remediation of endosulfan contaminated soil.

Application of endosulfan tolerant rhizospheric bacterial strain isolated from pesticide contaminated area, Ghaziabad in combination with V. zizanioides for the remediation of endosulfan is described herein. The dissipation of endosulfan from soil was considerably enhanced in the presence of bacterial strain and Vetiveria zizanioides together when compared to the dissipation in presence of either of them alone. Four strains- EAG-EC-12 (M1), EAG-EC-13(M2), EAG-EC-14(M3) and EAG-EC-15(M4) are used for this purpose. V. zizanioides was grown in garden soil spiked with 1500µgg(-1) of endosulfan and inoculated with 100ml of microbial culture of above motioned strains. Effect of microbial inoculation on plant growth, endosulfan uptake and endosulfan removal efficiency were analyzed. The microbial inoculation significantly enhances the growth of test plant and endosulfan dissipation from soil (p<0.05). The addition of bacterial strain M1, M2, M3 and M4 in treated pots showed enhanced root length by 13, 33 35, 20.2 and 4.3%, above ground plant length by 16.38, 35.56, 24.92 and 9.8% and biomass by 33.69, 49.63, 39.24 and 17.09% respectively when compared with endosulfan treated plants. After 135days of exposure, a decline in endosulfan concentration by 59.12, 64.56, 62.69 and 56.39% was obtained in the spiked soil inoculated with bacterial strains M1, M2, M3 and M4 respectively whereas, decrease in endosulfan concentration by 72.78, 85.25, 76.91 and 65.44% in the vegetative spiked soil inoculated with same strains was observed during same exposure period. After 135days of growth period, enhanced removal of endosulfan from experimental soil by 13.66, 20.69, 14.22 and 9.05% was found in vegetative experiment inoculated with same strains when compared with non vegetative experiment. Result of the study showed that use of toletant plant and tolerant bacterial strains could be the better strategy for the remediation of endosulfan contaminated soil.

Effect of Beneficial Microorganisms on Cowpea Productivity and Soil Health

Soil microorganisms are the most abundant biota in soil, responsible for a number of abilities such as nutrient cycling and organic matter decomposition, maintenance of soil fertility and restoration and plant health and sustainability in ecosystem functioning. Beneficial microbial inoculants such as actinomycetes, diazotrophic bacteria, mycorrhizal helper bacteria (MHB), mycorrhizal fungi, rhizobia etc. are known to promote plant growth. Microorganisms are also antagonistic to plant pests, parasites or diseases. Many of the beneficial microbials are naturally present in soil, although in certain cases, it may be advised to increase their populations and activity either through direct inoculation or by applying agricultural management techniques. In cognizance with the above, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of microbial inoculants on overall productivity of cowpea and soil health. Results revealed that the application of Rhizobium sp. as seed treatment increased the productivity of cowpea (up to 15%) at various stages of plant growth parameters like plant dry weight, no. of fresh leaves and branches, pods, overall leaf moisture and root length as compared to control. Total microbial population numbers, available K and phosphorus (P) in soil were also increased significantly after the soil was treated with this microbial inoculant indicating the role of beneficial microbial in improving the plant nutrient status and soil health.

Effect of microbial inoculant or molasses on fermentative quality and aerobic stability of sawdust-based spent mushroom substrate

In the first experiment, the effect of two novel Lactobacillus plantarum strains was studied on the fermentation of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) through 10d of ensiling. Based on lactic acid production and lactic acid bacteria population, L. plantarum KU5 was identified as the best strain for fermentation with a 5-L bag silo. Spent mushroom substrate was ensiled with 0.5% (v/w) L. plantarum KU5 without or with 5% molasses. Silages treated with microbial inoculant and molasses had the lowest pH and the highest fermentative odors. In a second set of experiments similar to the above 5-L silo study, the simultaneous application of L. plantarum KU5 inoculant and molasses to 80-L silos improved fermentability and aerobic stability of SMS silages. For similar treatment using ton-bag silos, aerobic stability decreased and NH3-N content increased dramatically. In conclusion, sawdust-based SMS for animal use was successfully ensiled with L. plantarum KU5 inoculant and molasses.