Whole-plant corn silage improves rumen fermentation and growth performance of beef cattle by altering rumen microbiota

In recent years, whole-plant corn silage has been widely used in China. Roughage is an important source of nutrition for ruminants and has an important effect on rumen microbiota, which plays an important role in animal growth performance and feed digestion. To better understand the effects of different silages on rumen microbiota, the effects of whole-plant corn silage or corn straw silage on growth performance, rumen fermentation products, and rumen microbiota of Simmental hybrid cattle were studied. Sixty healthy Simmental hybrid cattle were randomly divided into 2 groups with 6 replicates in each group and 5 cattle in each replicate. They were fed with whole-plant corn silage (WS) diet and corn straw silage (CS) diet respectively. Compared with corn straw silage, whole-plant corn silage significantly increased daily gain and decreased the feed intake-to-weight gain ratio (F/G) of beef cattle. Whole-plant corn silage also decreased the acetic acid in the rumen and the acetate-to-propionate ratio (A/P) compared with corn straw silage. On the genus level, the relative abundance of Prevotella_1 was significantly increased while the relative abundance of Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-002 was decreased in cattle fed whole-plant corn silage compared with those fed corn straw silage. Prevotella_1 was positively correlated with acetic acid and A/P. Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-002 was positively correlated with propionic acid and butyric acid, and negatively correlated with pH. Feeding whole-plant corn silage improved amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. Correlation analysis between rumen microbiota and metabolic pathways showed that Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-002 was negatively correlated with glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, metabolism of co-factors and vitamins, nucleotide metabolism, and translation while Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 was positively correlated with amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, genetic information processing, lipid metabolism, membrane transport, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, nucleotide metabolism, replication and repair, and translation. Ruminococcus_2 was positively correlated with amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. Feeding whole-plant corn silage can improve the growth performance and rumen fermentation of beef cattle by altering rumen microbiota and regulating the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, and nucleotides. KEY POINTS: • Feeding whole-plant corn silage could decrease the F/G of beef cattle • Feeding whole-plant corn silage improves rumen fermentation in beef cattle • Growth performance of beef cattle is related to rumen microbiota and metabolism.