Effects of the Forage Type and Chop Length of Ramie Silage on the Composition of Ruminal Microbiota in Black Goats
Shengnan Sun | Zhenping Hou | Qiuzhong Dai | Duanqin Wu
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the forage type and chop length of ramie (<i>Boehmeria nivea</i> (L.) Gaud.) silage on rumen fermentation and ruminal microbiota in black goats. Sixteen Liuyang black goats (22.35 ± 2.16 kg) were fed with the roughage of corn silage or ramie silage at chop lengths of 1, 2, or 3 cm. The Chao 1 index and the observed number of microbial species differed significantly between the corn and ramie silage groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05); however, <i>Firmicutes</i> (relative proportion: 34.99–56.68%), <i>Bacteroidetes</i> (27.41–47.73%), and <i>Proteobacteria</i> (1.44–3.92%) were the predominant phyla in both groups. The relative abundance of <i>Verrucomicrobia</i> (0.32–0.82%) was lowest for the 2 and 3 cm chop lengths (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and was negatively correlated with rumen pH and propionic acid concentration (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but positively correlated with the ratio of acetic acid to propionic acid (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The ramie silage fermentation quality was highest for the 1 cm chop length, suggesting that moderate chopping produces optimal quality silage.
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