Utilisation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and propionic acid to improve silage quality of amaranth before and after wilting: fermentation quality, microbial communities, and their metabolic pathway

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ( ) and propionic acid (PA) on fermentation characteristics and microbial community of amaranth ( ) silage with different moisture contents. Amaranth was harvested at maturity stage and prepared for ensiling. There were two moisture content gradients (80%: AhG, 70%: AhS; fresh material: FM) and three treatments (control: CK, : LP, propionic acid: PA) set up, and silages were opened after 60 d of ensiling. The results showed that the addition of and PA increased lactic acid (LA) content and decreased pH of amaranth after fermentation. In particular, the addition of PA significantly increased crude protein content (