Abstract:In order to study the effect of lactic acid bacteria on the silage quality and fermentation characteristics of jerusalem artichoke stems and leaves,jerusalem artichoke stems and leaves were used as experimental materials in the experiment,and silage was prepared by silage fermentation tank.0.2% lactic acid bacteria (T) was added in the experimental group,and no lactic acid bacteria (C) was added in the control group.The effects of additon of lactic acid bacteria on the nutritional quality,fermentation characteristics,in vitro gas production and IVDMD of jerusalem artichoke stems and leaves were analyzed after fermentation for 1 d,7 d,15 d,30 d and 60 d.The results showed that :1)The dry matter(DM) content in stems and leaves of jerusalem artichoke at full flowering stage was 320.7 g/kg (fresh sample basis),the water soluble carbohydrate(WSC) content was 22.60/% (DM basis),and the buffer energy value was 50.62 mEqBC/kg (DM basis),which made jerusalem artichoke stems and leaves at this stage more suitable for silage.2)Addition of lactic acid bacteria could reduce pH,acetic acid,butyric acid and NH3-N content of jerusalem artichoke silage (P<0.05),increase lactic acid content,DM content,WSC content and improve its sensory quality (P<0.05),but had no significant effect on neutral detergent fibre(NDF) and acid detergent fibre(ADF) (P>0.05).3)With the extension of fermentation time,the pH,DM and WSC contents of silage jerusalem artichoke in both the experimental and control group showed a gradual downward trend,while the contents of acetic acid,butyric acid,NH3-N and lactic acid increased significantly on the 7th day,then slowed down,and reached the highest value on the 60th day.4)The addition of lactic acid bacteria could increase the total gas production and IVDMD of jerusalem artichoke in vitro for 24 h (P<0.05) and reduce NH3-N content(P<0.05).Moreover,rumen fluid pH value of 12 and 24 h in vitro fermentation was decreased.In summary,the addition of lactic acid bacteria can improve the fermentation quality and nutritional value of jerusalem artichoke silage.