Using Conventional Ruminant Techniques and Molecular Spectroscopy to Study the Impact of Additive Fibrolytic Enzymes and Maturity Stage on Nutritional and Molecular Structural Changes of Legume and Legume-Cereal Intercropped Silage
Authors: Guevara Victor , Nagy Carlene , Yang Jen-Chieh , He Jiangfeng , E. Rodriguez-Espinosa Maria , Zhang Weixian , Ran Tao , Yu Peiqiang 
Published: February 2024

This chapter aims to I) provide research background and motivation on the impact of additive fibrolytic enzyme and maturity stage at harvesting on molecular structural changes and nutritional value of the cool-season legume silage and legume-cereal intercropped silage; II) provide recent research progress and development in whole plant faba bean (legume) silage and faba-oat (legume-cereal) intercropped silage. The reviewed projects include: I) effect of adding different levels of additive fibrolytic enzymes on utilisation of cool-season whole plant faba bean silage in ruminants to find an optimal dose level for this faba silage; II) effect of adding different levels of fibrolytic enzymes on utilisation of cool-season intercropped whole plant faba-oat (legume-cereal) silage in ruminants; III) effect of maturity stage at harvesting on nutritive quality of whole plant faba silage; IV) effect of frost damage on nutritive quality of whole plant faba forage in ruminant; V) feeding trial and dairy production performance, milk yield (ECM, FCM, fat yield etc.) with whole plant faba legume silage in early lactating cows to replace traditional barley and corn silages; VI) availability and utilisation of whole plant faba silage and intercropped whole plant faba-oat intercropped silage in ruminants; VII) using molecular spectroscopy to study nutrition and structure interaction of faba silage at cellular and molecular levels. Based on the scientific findings presented in this chapter, the following most important conclusions can be drawn: cool-season faba (legume) variety with different tannin levels impact not only nutrient profiles but also protein and carbohydrate-related molecular structure makeup. Additionally, the nutrient supply, bioenergy, degradation, digestion, and metabolic characteristics of cool-season faba silage and intercropped faba-oat silage were highly related independently and synergistically to molecular structure conformation. Furthermore, the nutrient utilisation and availability of cool-season faba silage and intercropped silage in ruminant livestock systems could be accurately predicted by the protein and carbohydrate molecular structures revealed with cutting stage vibrational molecular spectroscopy when they work together. Additive fibrolytic enzyme and maturity stage at harvesting significantly impacted both nutritional and molecular structural changes of legume and legume-cereal intercropped silage. Dairy production performance and milk yield (ECM, FCM, fat yield, etc.) studies showed that whole plant faba legume silage in early lactating cows could be used as an alternative silage to traditional barley and corn silages. The information described in this chapter gives better insight into cool-season legume silage and legume-cereal intercropping silage research progress in terms of inherent molecular structures, nutritive quality, animal production response, and molecular structure and nutrition delivery interactive relationship as well as impact by maturity stage and dosage levels of additive fibrolytic enzymes in the cool-season legume silage and intercropped legume-cereal silages.