EFFECT OF ENSILING WHEAT-STRAW WITH MOLASSES, IUCERNE AND BACTERIAL CULTURE ON FERMENTATION PATTERN AND CHEMICAL-CHANGES

Three mixtures in 8 replicates of wheat straw with bacterial culture ( T1), culture + CaCO3 (T2) and lucerne (1:4) T3) having 3 levels of wat er soluble carbohydrates (WSC) (1, 2 and 3%) were ensiled in laborator y glass silos. The silos were opened in duplicate at 10, 35, 60 and 90 days of ensiling. All the silages in treatment T3 had very good odour and texture while silages at all days of unloading in T2 had foul odo ur and some silages in treatment T1 had foul odour at day 10. Addition of bacterial culture increased the intensity of fermentation and at d ay 10 almost all the WSC was used. In spite of similar lactic acid pro duction in all the treatments at day 10, in treatment T1 and T2, lower values of lactic acid, higher butyric acid. higher ammonia-N, reversa l of pH and very low values of Flieg index were observed after day 10 till final unloading at day 90 due to secondary fermentation. The sila ges in treatment T3 had desirable fermentation. The contents of ADF, h emicellulose and lignin were not affected while the production of acid s during fermentation partly solubilized hemicellulose and increased t he cell contents. The dry matter and digestible organic matter losses were significantly lower in T3. The production of more acids than than quantity of WSC during ensiling was as a result of hydrolysis of hemi cellulose. The magnitude of these chemical changes was more pronounced in treatment T3. The silages in treatment T3 were aerobically stable at all days of unloading than T1 and T2. It may thus be inferred that wheat straw can be successfully ensiled with lucerne in a ratio of 1:4 with 3% WSC level.