Inoculating Panicum maximum silage with Lactobacillus plantarum

This book developed microbial inoculants that are environmentally friendly compared to chemical inoculants for ensiling Panicum maximun silage. This was carried out by isolation and characterization of various Lactic acid bacteria from previously ensiled silage. Afterwards, various physicochemical parameters were carried out on the bacteria to select best strains. Thereafter, two Lactobacillus plantarum were selected and used both singly and in combination for the ensiling of silage from day 1 to 60 days at 15 days interval. Afterwards, proximate analysis was carried out to know effects of the inoculants on silage qualities. It was observed that inoculants were able to increase the quality and fermentation processes of some of the inoculated silage when compared with the control. Microbial inoculants are, therefore, recommended for farmers for good silage production for animals feeding.