The bad guys include enterobacteria that compete with LAB for sugars and can produce detrimental endotoxins. Eliminating oxygen and acidification will help keep these guys on the bench. The bad guys' team also includes yeasts and molds that also do quite well in the presence of oxygen. Yeasts compete for fermentable sugars and are primarily responsible for the aerobic spoilage of silage. Molds, as many producers have learned first-hand, produce mycotoxins that have negative effects on animal performance and health.
Clostridia are organisms that thrive under moist conditions and degrade sugars and proteins.
Dr. Kung points out that when any of these bad guys control the tempo of the silage game, fermentation pathways are extremely inefficient and large losses in dry matter can occur. The fundamental reason to invest in silage inoculants is to insure there are enough LAB for optimum silage preservation. This is not to say there may not be sufficient numbers already on the wilted crop. Okay, let's boil this inoculant issue down to some practical advice. Returns could be highest by limiting applications to situations and crops where naturally occurring LAB are not already present in the crop at sufficient levels.