Effect of the moisture content on lignocellulose degradation, lactic acid fermentation, and the bacterial community of Sudangrass ensiled with bacteria‐enzyme inoculants

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of ferulic acid esterase‐producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP) and fibrolytic enzyme on the fermentation quality, lignocellulose degradation, and microbial community of Sudangrass ensiled with different moisture contents. Sudangrass was ensiled at three moisture levels: low (LM, 70%), medium (MM, 76%), and high (HM, 83%), and subjected to one of four treatments: control (CK); LP; cellulase and xylanase mixture (CX); or a combination of LP, cellulase, and xylanase (LP + CX). Results showed that under most conditions, LP + CX generally produced the highest lactic acid (LA) and water‐soluble carbohydrate content, the lowest value of pH, ammonia nitrogen, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber contents compared with CK, LP, and CX. Moisture content significantly modulated these effects: LM promoted LA content, resulting in a significantly lower pH, whereas MM was most conducive to lignocellulose degradation and led to a higher relative abundance of Lactiplantibacillus and a lower abundance of Enterobacter . These results indicate that moisture content critically modulates the efficacy of microbial and enzymatic additives, with LM favoring LA fermentation and MM improving fiber degradation and saccharification. Optimizing moisture content thus offers a viable strategy to enhance silage quality for sustainable biomass utilization by adopting LM for feed production and MM for fiber saccharification.