A note on sampling baled grass silage for fungal propagules

Abstract

Ten bales of grass silage were cored at eight pre-determined positions and the mould and yeast propagules were enumerated. Both mould and yeast numbers varied greatly between and within individual bales. Yeast colony forming units (cfu) showed greater variability between (s.e. 1.44 log10 cfu/g) than within bales (s.e. 0.53 log10 cfu/g). This variation between and within bales was statistically significant (P<0.05). When estimating the numbers of fungal propagules in bales that contain no visible mould or yeast growth, it is recommended that eight, or more, samples be taken per bale and these then composited to provide one representative sample of silage.