Evaluation of biological and chemical additives on microbial community, fermentation characteristics, aerobic stability, and in vitro gas production of SuMu No. 2 elephant grass

BACKGROUND The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of biological and chemical additives on microbial community, fermentation characteristics, aerobic stability, and in vitro gas production of SuMu No. 2 elephant grass. RESULTS Aerobic bacteria and yeast were not affected on days 5 and 7 but were significantly (P 0.001) higher in all ensiling days within all treatment groups. During the ensiling days, the pH, acetic acid, butyric acid, and yeast were decreased in all treatment groups, whereas the Lactobacillus plantarum group and L. plantarum + natamycin group were highly significantly (P > 0.001) decreased. During air exposure, the water‐soluble carbohydrates, ammonia nitrogen, lactic acid, and acetic acid were not affected on days 1–4, whereas pH and aerobic bacteria (were significantly (P