Enhancing the silage quality of Kangar (Gundelia tournefortii L.) as a potential forage for ruminants: The role of molasses, urea, and microbial inoculants.

Authors

Mohsen Kazemi, Hassan Saleh

Published in

Veterinary and animal science. Volume 33. Pages 100810. Epub Aug 10, 2026.

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate whether Kangar (Gundelia tournefortii L.) forage can be successfully preserved as silage despite its low water-soluble carbohydrate content and high buffering capacity, and to assess the individual and combined effects of molasses (Mol, 5% dry matter: DM), Lactobacillus plantarum inoculant (LAB, 1 × 10⁶ CFU/g fresh forage), and urea (1% DM) on fermentation quality, microbial populations, aerobic stability, and in vitro digestibility. In a completely randomized design with six replicates per treatment, silages were evaluated after 60 days of ensiling. The Mol+LAB treatment resulted in the lowest pH (3.98), highest lactic acid content (8.08% DM), highest Flieg score (113), highest aerobic stability (96.1 h), and lowest DM loss (58.8 g/kg DM) among all treatments (p < 0.001). This treatment also significantly reduced butyric acid, ammonia-N, and populations of mould, yeast, and Clostridium, while increasing LAB counts. In terms of nutritive value, Mol+LAB and Mol+Urea showed the highest in vitro digestibility of DM, organic matter, crude protein, and NDF, as well as the highest total volatile fatty acids and metabolizable energy (p < 0.001). Mol alone or combined with LAB effectively improved fermentation quality and digestibility, whereas urea alone increased crude protein but negatively affected fermentation (higher pH, ammonia-N, and butyric acid). Overall, the combination of Mol and LAB (Mol+LAB) was the most effective additive for producing high-quality Kangar silage with excellent fermentation characteristics, aerobic stability, and rumen fermentability, offering a viable strategy to enhance alternative forage utilization in arid and semi-arid regions.

PMID:
42633269
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Aug 2026.

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