Effects of a mixture of Lentilactobacillus hilgardii, Lentilactobacillus buchneri, Pediococcus pentosaceus and fibrolytic enzymes on silage fermentation, aerobic stability, and performance of growing beef cattle.

This study evaluated the effects of novel silage inoculants containing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and fibrolytic enzymes on ensiling, aerobic stability (AS), and the performance of growing beef cattle. Whole-plant corn forage was either uninoculated (CON) or inoculated with a mixture of LAB containing (cfu g-1 fresh forage) 1.5 × 105 L. hilgardii (CNCM I-4785), 1.5 × 105 L. buchneri (NCIMB 40788) and 1.0 × 105 P. pentosaceus (NCIMB 12455) for a total of 4.0 × 105 cfu g-1 fresh forage LAB (IB), or a combination of IB plus fibrolytic enzymes (xylanase + ß-glucanase) (IC). All treatments were ensiled in mini-silos, whereas CON and IC were also ensiled in silo bags for the growth performance study. Total bacteria (TB) counts were lower (P = 0.02) for IC than CON after 14 d of ensiling, whereas TB counts of IC and IB were greater (P ≤ 0.01) than CON after 60 d of ensiling in mini-silos. The LAB in IC and IB ensiled in mini-silos were greater than CON on d 60 (P ≤ 0.01) and 90 (P ≤ 0.001) of ensiling and after 3 d (P ≤ 0.01) of aerobic exposure (AE). Silage pH of IC ensiled in silo bags was lower than CON on d 3 (P < 0.01), 7 (P < 0.001), and 14 (P = 0.02) of AE. Yeast counts were lower for IC than CON in terminal silage (P < 0.001), and after 3 (P < 0.001) and 7 d (P < 0.01) of AE. Acetate (AC) concentrations were higher (P ≤ 0.02) for IC than CON throughout AE, whereas lactate (LA) concentrations of IC were greater than CON on d 3 (P < 0.001), 7 (P < 0.01), and 14 (P < 0.001) of AE. Greater AC concentration and lower yeast counts resulted in greater (P < 0.001) stability for IC ensiled in silo bags than CON after 14 d of AE. Growth performance of steers was similar (P > 0.05) as the nutrient composition of silage was similar across diets. Improved AS of IC could potentially have a greater impact on DMI, production efficiency, and growth performance in large-scale commercial feedlot operations where silage at the silo face may be exposed to air for longer periods of time.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Indian leafwing butterfly Kallima paralekta (insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).

The Indian leafwing butterfly Kallima paralekta (Horsfield, 1829) (Nymphalidae) is an Asian forest-dwelling, leaf-mimic. Genome skimming by Illumina sequencing permitted assembly of a complete circular mitogenome of 15,200 bp from K. paralekta consisting of 79.5% AT nucleotides, 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs and a control region in the typical butterfly gene order. Kallima paralekta COX1 features an atypical CGA start codon, while ATP6, COX1, COX2, ND4, ND4L, and ND5 exhibit incomplete stop codons completed by 3' A residues added to the mRNA. Phylogenetic reconstruction places K. paraleckta within the monophyletic genus Kallima, sister to Mallika in the subfamily Nymphalinae. These data support the monophyly of tribe Kallimini and contribute to the evolutionary systematics of the Nymphalidae.

Effects of inoculation of corn silage with Lactobacillus hilgardii and Lactobacillus buchneri on silage quality, aerobic stability, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of growing beef cattle.

This study evaluated the effects of inoculation of whole crop corn silage with a mixture of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) composed of Lactobacillus hilgardii and Lactobacillus buchneri on ensiling, aerobic stability, ruminal fermentation, total tract nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of beef cattle. Uninoculated control corn silage (CON) and silage inoculated with 3.0 × 105 cfu g-1 of LAB containing 1.5 × 105 cfu g-1 of L. hilgardii CNCM I-4785 and 1.5 × 105 cfu g-1 of L. buchneri NCIMB 40788 (INOC) were ensiled in silo bags. The pH did not differ (P > 0.05) between the two silages during ensiling but was greater (P < 0.001) for CON than INOC after 14 d of aerobic exposure (AE). Neutral detergent insoluble crude protein (NDICP) content (% of DM and % of CP basis) of terminal INOC silage was greater (P ≤ 0.05) than that of CON. In terminal silage, concentrations of total VFA and acetate were greater (P < 0.001), while water-soluble carbohydrates were lower (P < 0.001) for INOC than CON. Yeast and mold counts were lower for INOC than CON (P ≤ 0.001) in both terminal and aerobically exposed silages. The stability of INOC was greater (P < 0.001) than that of CON after 14 d of AE. Ruminal fermentation parameters and DMI did not differ (P > 0.05) between heifers fed the two silages, while there was a tendency (P ≤ 0.07) for lower CP and starch digestibility for heifers fed INOC than CON. Total nitrogen (N) intake and N retention were lower (P ≤ 0.04) for heifers fed INOC than CON. Dry matter intake as a percentage of BW was lower (P < 0.04) and there was a tendency for improved feed efficieny (G:F; P = 0.07) in steers fed INOC vs. CON silage. The NEm and NEg contents were greater for INOC than CON diets. Results indicate that inoculation with a mixture of L. hilgardii and L. buchneri improved the aerobic stability of corn silage. Improvements in G:F of growing steers fed INOC silage even though the total tract digestibility of CP and starch tended to be lower for heifers fed INOC are likely because the difference in BW and growth requirements of these animals impacted the growth performance and nutrient utilization and a greater proportion of NDICP in INOC than CON.

Effects of inoculation of corn silage with Lactobacillus spp. or Saccharomyces cerevisiae alone or in combination on silage fermentation characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of growing beef cattle.

This study evaluated the effects of a novel silage inoculant containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 3 as a direct fed microbial (DFM) on the ensiling, aerobic stability, and nutrient digestibility of whole-crop corn silage and growth performance of beef cattle. Treatments included uninoculated corn silage (CON) or corn silage inoculated with a mixture of 1.1 × 105 cfu g-1 fresh forage Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus buchneri (INOC1) or 1.0 × 104 cfu g-1 fresh forage S. cerevisiae strain 3 (INOC2) or a mixture of INOC1 and INOC2 (INOC3). Silage in INOC1 had lower (P = 0.03) proportion of lactate, with acetate (Ac) proportion ranking as INOC1 > INOC3 > INOC2 (P < 0.01). In terminal silage, numbers of lactic acid bacteria were greater (P = 0.05) for INOC1 than CON and INOC2, while yeast counts tended (P = 0.08) to be greater for INOC2 than INOC3 on day 3 of aerobic exposure. Aerobic stability of corn silage was not impacted by inoculation with S. cerevisiae strain 3. Heifers fed INOC2 and INOC3 had lower (P < 0.01) ruminal Ac concentration than those fed CON. Apparent total tract digestibilities of DM, OM, ADF, and NDF were greater (P ≤ 0.03) for heifers fed INOC2 than those fed CON. Growth performance was similar across treatments, excepting DMI as percent of BW tended to be lower (P = 0.08) for INOC2 steers compared to CON steers. These results suggest that S. cerevisiae strain 3 has potential as a component in a fourth generation DFM silage inoculant.

In situ identification and quantification of starch-hydrolyzing bacteria attached to barley and corn grain in the rumen of cows fed barley-based diets.

Cereal grains rich in starch are widely used to meet the energy demands of high-producing beef and dairy cattle. Bacteria are important players in starch digestion in the rumen, and thus play an important role in the hydrolysis and fermentation of cereal grains. However, our understanding of the composition of the rumen starch-hydrolyzing bacteria (SHB) is limited. In this study, BODIPY FL DQ starch staining combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and quantitative FISH were applied to label, identify and quantify SHB possessing active cell-surface-associated (CSA) α-amylase activity in the rumen of heifers fed barley-based diets. When individual cells of SHB with active CSA α-amylase activity were enumerated, they constituted 19-23% of the total bacterial cells attached to particles of four different cultivars of barley grain and corn. Quantitative FISH revealed that up to 70-80% of these SHB were members of Ruminococcaceae in the phylum Firmicutes but were not Streptococcus bovis, Ruminobacter amylophilus, Succinomonas amylolytica, Bifidobacterium spp. or Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, all of whose amylolytic activities have been demonstrated previously in vitro. The proportion of barley grain in the diet had a large impact on the percentage abundance of total SHB and Ruminococcaceae SHB in these animals.