The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different additives on the fermentation characteristics and microbial community of mulberry leaf silage. In this experiment， fresh mulberry leaves were served as raw materials， and six treatment groups were established， including control group （CK）， Pediococcus pentosaceus group （SSW）， Lactobacillus plantarum group （SSZ）， cellulase group （SSX）， Pediococcus pentosaceus+cellulase group （SSWX）， and Lactobacillus plantarum+cellulase group （SSZX）. Nutritional indicators， fermentation quality， and microbial diversity were assessed during a 45-day silage process at room temperature. The results revealed that the SSZX group exhibited the highest crude protein content （18.81% DM） and significantly reduced levels of neutral detergent fiber （NDF） and acid detergent fiber （ADF） （26.00% DM and 22.00% DM， respectively） （P<0.05）. Regarding fermentation characteristics， the additives markedly enhanced fermentation quality. The SSZX group recorded the lowest pH value （4.29）， the highest lactic acid content （39.90 g·kg^-1）， and the lowest ammonia nitrogen （AN） content （4.97 g·kg^-1）， without being detected butyric acid. In terms of microbial composition， the CK group was predominantly composed of Enterobacter （40.00%） and Fusarium （20.00%）， indicating a risk of spoilage. In contrast， Lactobacillus plantarum was the dominant bacterium in the SSZ and SSZX groups， comprising 75.00% to 84.00% of the microbial population. The abundance of Lactobacillus plantarum was significantly negatively correlated with both pH and NDF， thereby confirming its inhibitory effect on harmful microorganisms. In conclusion， the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum and cellulase to mulberry leaf silage had the highest quality.

Silage  /  Mulberry leaves  /  Lactic acid bacteria additives  /  Microbial diversity