The impact of pretreatment methods on the fermentation quality and nutritional profile of bamboo silage was assessed to determine the optimal ensiling strategy. Tender bamboo underwent microwave, ultrasound, alkali, and irradiation pretreatments. Subsequently, a four-factor, three-level L9 (34) orthogonal experiment was employed, utilizing pretreated bamboo as the substrate. The experiment evaluated the effects of silage time (30, 45, 60 days), moisture content (55%, 60%, 65%), cellulase addition 2, 4, and 6 mg/g FM (Fresh weight), and silage inoculant addition (0.5, 5, 50 mg/g FM). Results indicated that γ-ray irradiation pretreatment effectively reduced lignin and cellulose content while increasing reducing sugars levels approximately fourfold compared to the control group. Six out of the nine treatment groups exhibited superior comprehensive fermentation quality scores, with silage time demonstrating the most significant influence on the fermentation quality of tender bamboo silage. The order of influence was silage time > silage inoculant level > moisture content > cellulase, with a silage time of 30 days, a silage inoculant level of 0.5 mg/g FM, a moisture content of 65%, and a cellulase level of 2 mg/g FM, all contributing to enhanced fermentation quality. Regarding nutritional composition, silage time significantly impacted crude protein and soluble sugar levels, with optimal levels observed at 30 and 60 days, respectively. Moisture content primarily affected soluble sugar levels, followed by neutral detergent fiber, with an optimal level of 55%. Other factors showed minimal effects. Based on fermentation quality and nutritional component analysis, and prioritizing fermentation quality while considering cost-effectiveness, the optimal ensiling conditions for bamboo were determined to be a silage time of 30 days, a moisture content of 65%, an addition of 2 mg/g FM of cellulase, and an addition of 0.5 mg/g FM of silage inoculant.
Chen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.