The effect of biological additive on the fermentation quality of whole-crop rye silage

The aim of this research was to find out the changes in fermentation parameters of whole-crop rye silage after adding the biological additive. Two variants of rye silage were used in the experiment: variant C (silage without additive) and variant A (silage with the addition of additive). The wilted whole-crop rye was treated with strains of lactic acid bacteria (Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactococcus lactis 1.25x1011 CFU.g-1) in a dose of 2 g of additive + 25 ml of water per 1 ton of matter. Both silage variants were ensiled with a vacuum pack device and after 2 months of storage, average samples were taken to determine the dry matter content, fermentation products, acidity of water extract, pH and the degree of proteolysis by appropriate methods. Treatment of rye silage with a microbial silage additive affected the quality of rye silage by a statistically significant (P <0.05) higher content of lactic acid and acidity of water extract. The lower content of acetic acid, alcohols, pH value and the degree of proteolysis were also statistically significant (P <0.05). The results confirmed the positive effect of the addition of Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactococcus lactis on the quality of the fermentation process of rye silage.