Without the laboratory test, silage is judged as good or bad using simple subjective criteria such as physical appearance and texture, colour and aroma. Silage with a pH of 3.5-4.2 indicates excellent fresh acidic/sweet silage, 4.2-4.5 is good acidic, 4.5-5.0 fair less acidic and above 5.0 poor pungent/rancid smelling silage. Silage of poor quality has slimy soft texture when rubbed from the fibre or leaf and contains moulds. Black, slightly damp and dark brown colours indicate poor quality silage with extensive heat damage and significant losses in digestibility, usually accompanied by moulds. A farm adviser can also help do the basic silage quality analysis.

Source: Daily Nation February 22, 2019 17:26 UTC