In order to explore the effects of different silage inoculants on the silage quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), this study utilized six groups of experimental treatments and five kinds of additive treatments: Xinlaiwang I straw silage (group A), Xinlaiwang I alfalfa silage (group B), Zhuanglemei silage starter culture (group C), Baoshiqing (group D), Kangfuqing S lactic acid bacteria silage (group E), and another blank control group (CK group, distilled water). The effect of silage on fermentation characteristics and nutritional value of Adina alfalfa silage was studied by membership function analysis. The main study variable was inoculant strains. Alfalfa silage was packed into polyethylene plastic vacuum bags in the laboratory and sealed for 60 days. The silage was divided into six treatment groups with three replicates per group. The fermentation performance and nutrient composition of the silage were determined. The results showed that compared with the control group, adding Xinlaiwang I alfalfa silage (group B) could significantly increase the contents of crude protein (CP) and lactic acid (LA) in alfalfa silage (p < 0.05), decrease the contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), and decrease the pH and ammoniacal nitrogen/total nitrogen (AN/TN). The results showed that different inoculants could improve the silage quality of alfalfa to different extent, and Xinlaiwang I alfalfa silage had the best effect.

In order to explore the effect of different silage microbial inoculants on the silage quality of WL358HQ Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the test consists of the following six treatments: Xinlaiwang I—straw silage inoculant (A), Xinlaiwang I—alfalfa silage inoculant (B), Zhuang Le Mei silage inoculant (C), Baoshiqing (D), KOFASIL S lactic acid bacteria silage inoculant (E) and distilled water (F). Nutritional and fermentation indexes were determined after 60 days of natural fermentation at room temperature. The results showed that the contents of crude protein (CP) and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) of the B treatment were higher than other treatments. The Relative Feed Value (RFV) of the B treatment was high, the lactic acid (LA) content of the B treatment was significantly increased (p < 0.05) and the contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), pH and ammoniacal nitrogen/total nitrogen (AN/TN) of the B treatment were low. The results showed that treatment B has the best ensilage effect and the highest ensilage membership function, which can effectively improve the quality of WL358 alfalfa silage.

To promote the utilization of sunflower straw resources, we conducted composting experiments in winter and summer with microbial inoculants to explore the effects of season and inoculant addition on physicochemical properties and microbial diversity during composting.The results indicated that both season and microbial agents significantly influenced the physicochemical characteristics of the compost, as well as the diversity and abundance of bacteria and fungi. On day 15 of composting, the application of the FAB (Commercial composite microbial inoculant+Candida utilis+Bacillus licheniformis) inoculant in the summer effectively promoted the humification of organic matter and enhanced nitrification. Furthermore, a distinct seasonal difference in its effect on phosphorus transformation was observed earlier, on day 5. While the FAB inoculant promoted phosphorus transformation in winter, it inhibited the process in summer. In the winter treatments, the relative abundance of Firmicutes ranged from 24.58 % to 30.70 %, which was higher than that in the summer treatments (12.49 %-28.16 %). In summer, the abundance of Proteobacteria followed the order FBX (Commercial composite microbial inoculant+Bacillus licheniformis) > FABX (Commercial composite microbial inoculant+Candida utilis+Bacillus licheniformis) > BX (Bacillus licheniformis) > ABX (Candida utilis+Bacillus licheniformis), with the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the CKX group being 16.52 %. In contrast, all groups in winter exhibited the opposite trend, with the CK group showing the highest abundance. Certain fungal phyla exhibited contrasting seasonal distribution patterns: Basidiomycota was significantly enriched during winter, with its relative abundance reaching 27.36 % in the FB group, while Fungi_phy_Incertae_sedis predominated in summer, with a relative abundance of 19.38 % in the BX group. Correlation analysis further revealed that total potassium (TK), organic matter (OM), and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) were significantly correlated with bacterial community composition. The fungal community composition, on the other hand, was correlated with factors such as total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), TK, ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), OM, the C/N ratio (C/N), and NO₃^--N.

Managing moisture content is crucial for optimizing the fermentation quality of alfalfa silage; however, the underlying mechanisms of water spraying follow

Oat (Avena sativa L.) silage fermentation often fails due to insufficient lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and low water-soluble carbohydrate content. We investigated the effects of Compound Radix Pulsatillae (CRP; 40 g/kg FM) alone or combined with a commercial LAB inoculant (containing L. plantarum, L. buchneri, and Enterococcus faecium, CRP_LA) on oat silage after 60 days. Compared to control (CK), both CRP and CRP_LA increased dry matter and water-soluble carbohydrate retention while reducing fiber components and ammonia nitrogen (p < 0.05). CRP_LA exhibited superior fermentation quality (lowest pH 4.82, highest lactic acid 47.83 g/kg DM). Using 16S rRNA sequencing and UPLC-MS/MS metabolomics integrated with weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified a brown module strongly associated with CRP_LA treatment. Six hub metabolites, belonging to flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, phenolic acids, and nucleotide derivatives, were significantly elevated in CRP_LA silage and showed strong correlations with Lactobacillus abundance and fermentation quality parameters. Correlation-based network analysis revealed that these hub metabolites positively correlated with Lactobacillus abundance, lactic acid, and water-soluble carbohydrate retention, while negatively correlating with spoilage microorganisms (Enterobacter, Acinetobacter, Leuconostoc) and ammonia nitrogen. This multi-omics study provides a metabolite-centric molecular map of the silage microecosystem reshaped by CRP and LAB co-fermentation. The identified hub metabolites—with predicted antimicrobial, antioxidant, and plant-protective functions—represent potential quality markers for functional silage additive development. Mechanistic validation via targeted metabolite supplementation or pathway-specific gene expression analysis is warranted in future studies.