Studies on the Significance of Three Bacillus species to the Ensiling Process

The activities of Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus polymyxa were examined in a defined environment prepared to simulate a grass with low contents of dry matter and water-soluble carbohydrates. All of these organisms produced lactic and acetic acids, and their growth was not suppressed by these fermentation products nor by low pH. The acid content of silages made by inoculation with lactic acid bacteria alone and in combination with each of the bacilli was greater than in the silages containing each of the bacilli alone. The acid content of the silages with lactic acid bacteria was not increased by the presence of bacilli. It is concluded that bacilli can compete with lactic acid bacteria for substrate but contribute little to the fermentation and in this context should be discouraged.