Influence of leaf morphological properties on epiphytic lactic acid bacteria counts in forage crops

The structural properties of leaves play a crucial role in the attachment of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in forage corps. This study analyzed the effects of leaf morphological properties, on LAB counts in different wild forage crops. The LAB counts and morphologic features on adaxial or abaxial surfaces of leaves from twelve forage species (maize (Zea mays), beggarticks (Bidens pilosa), white goosefoot (Chenopodium album), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), perilla (Perilla frutescens), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), chili pepper (Capsicum), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), peanut (Arachis hypogaea), potato (Solanum tuberosum), and mallow (Malva verticillata)) were investigated. White goosefoot (5.22 log₁₀ CFU g^-1 FM) and beggarticks (4.83 log₁₀ CFU g^-1 FM) had the highest LAB counts but shortest leaf lengths (5.06 cm and 4.97 cm, respectively), whereas maize (3.37 log₁₀ CFU g^-1 FM) and sweet potato (3.38 log₁₀ CFU g^-1 FM) had lower LAB counts but significantly greater leaf widths than the other crops except for mallow (P < 0.001). Linear regression analysis revealed that the coefficients of determination (R²) between LAB counts and contact angle of the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaf were 0.1424 and 0.175, respectively. Therefore, the morphological features of leaves have a relatively weak influence on the LAB counts in different forage crops.