Nutritive Value and Nutrient Digestibility of Silages From Different Parts of Fodder Beet With or Without Lactobacillus buchneri Inoculants for Sheep.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of diets containing silages from different parts of fodder beet (FB) with or without Lactobacillus buchneri (LB) when fed to sheep. METHODS: Seven adult ruminally fistulated rams (2 years old; 74 ± 2.5 kg body weight) were randomly allocated to seven experimental diets in a changeover design. Treatments were as follows: whole FB without LB (WFB - LB); whole FB with LB (WFB + LB); FB tops without LB (FBT - LB); FB tops with LB (FBT + LB); FB bulbs without LB (FBR - LB); FB bulbs with LB (FBR + LB) and corn silage (CS) as control. RESULTS: LB inoculation did not affect silage chemical composition. FB bulb silage had lower pH than FB top silage. Dry matter intake (DMI) was highest for WFB + LB and lowest for FBT - LB (p < 0.001). Dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibility were highest for CS and lowest for FBT - LB (p < 0.001). Ruminal pH and NH3-N concentration were highest in sheep fed whole FB silage (p < 0.001). The acetate:propionate ratio was highest in FBT + LB and FBT - LB, followed by whole FB silage. FBT + LB and FBT - LB showed higher pH and NH3-N but lower lactic acid concentration and flieg point value than other treatments. CONCLUSION: Silage made from whole FB (with or without LB) could be a promising alternative to CS for sheep, based on digestibility and rumen function parameters.