Identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from corn stovers

One hundred and twenty-six strains were isolated from corn stover in Henan Province, China, of which 105 isolates were considered to be lactic acid bacteria (LAB) according to Gram-positive, catalase-negative and mainly metabolic lactic acid product. Analysis of the 16S ribosomal DNA sequence of 21 representative strains was used to confirm the presence of the predominant groups and to determine the phylogenetic affiliation of isolates. The sequences from the various LAB isolates showed high degrees of similarity to those of the GenBank type strains between 99.4% and 100%. The prevalent LAB, predominantly Lactobacillus (85.6%), consisted of L. plantarum (33.3%), L. pentosus (28.6%) and L. brevis (23.7%). Other LAB species as Leuconostoc lactis (4.8%), Weissella cibaria (4.8%) and Enterococcus mundtii (4.8%) also presented in corn stover. The present study is the first to fully document corn stover-associated LAB involved in the silage fermentation. The identification results revealed LAB composition inhabiting corn stover and enabling the future design of appropriate inoculants aimed at improving the fermentation quality of silage.