{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:43:20Z","timestamp":1760060600183,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,11]],"date-time":"2025-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757548800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITAA), University of the Azores"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Grasses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study evaluated the effect of Acacia melanoxylon inclusion in Medicago sativa silage on chemical composition, fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility, gas production, and energy value. Due to its high moisture content, M. sativa presents challenges for ensiling. A. melanoxylon, a woody legume with high dry matter (DM) content, was tested as a structural additive. Five treatments were prepared\u2014control (100% M. sativa) and mixtures with 6, 12, 24, and 48% A. melanoxylon (fresh basis)\u2014and ensiled for 45 days under vacuum. Silages were analyzed for DM, crude protein, fiber fractions, pH, ammonia nitrogen, in vitro digestibility, gas production kinetics, and estimated energy values (ME and NEL). Increasing Acacia raised DM (17.75 \u00b1 0.04 \u2192 28.45 \u00b1 0.11%) and reduced pH (5.86 \u00b1 0.01 \u2192 4.53 \u00b1 0.01) and NH3-N\/Total N (11.38 \u00b1 0.10% \u2192 8.05 \u00b1 0.10%), indicating improved fermentation quality. Conversely, crude protein, digestibility (IVDMD 62.61 \u00b1 0.05% \u2192 48.02 \u00b1 0.16%), and cumulative gas at 96 h decreased, as did energy values (ME 5.91 \u2192 4.45 MJ\/kg DM; NEL 3.13 \u2192 2.02 MJ\/kg DM) at higher inclusion levels; gas-kinetic parameters reflected the same trend (lower b and c). Overall, A. melanoxylon acts as a structural co-ensiling option that increases DM and supports fermentation quality while clearly delineating nutritional and fermentability trade-offs; low-to-moderate inclusion (6\u201312%) appears advisable to balance process benefits against acceptable nutritional penalties.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/grasses4030037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,11]],"date-time":"2025-09-11T07:51:46Z","timestamp":1757577106000},"page":"37","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effect of Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. Inclusion on the Chemical Composition, Fermentation Dynamics, and In Vitro Digestibility of Medicago sativa L. Silage"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6655-8109","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristiana Maduro","family":"Dias","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capit\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o d\u2019\u00c1vila, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"},{"name":"IITTA\u2014Instituto de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e Tecnologias Agr\u00e1rias e do Ambiente, Rua Capit\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o d\u2019\u00c1vila, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Vanessa","family":"Melo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IITTA\u2014Instituto de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e Tecnologias Agr\u00e1rias e do Ambiente, Rua Capit\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o d\u2019\u00c1vila, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9935-851X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Helder","family":"Nunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capit\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o d\u2019\u00c1vila, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"},{"name":"IITTA\u2014Instituto de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e Tecnologias Agr\u00e1rias e do Ambiente, Rua Capit\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o d\u2019\u00c1vila, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8481-791X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alfredo","family":"Borba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capit\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o d\u2019\u00c1vila, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"},{"name":"IITTA\u2014Instituto de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e Tecnologias Agr\u00e1rias e do Ambiente, Rua Capit\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o d\u2019\u00c1vila, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Interpretation of silage fermentation analyses","volume":"29","author":"Kung","year":"2001","journal-title":"Proc. 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