| The objective of this research was to evaluate the chemical composition and in situ degradability of hay stubble from a maize crop fertilized with 40; 120 or 200 kg N ha-1, ammoniated with urea. To evaluate in situ degradability, 4 g samples were incubated in nylon bags in the rumen of cattle for 6; 24 and 72 hours. The levels of acid detergent fiber (35.4% DM) and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (18.5% of total N) decreased, resulting in 32.7% of DM and 9.6% of the total N, and crude protein (CP) increased from 5.2 to 9.7% of DM as a result of the ammoniation with urea. The degradation of dry matter (48.7%), CP (56.5%) and neutral detergent fiber (33.6%) increased with ammoniation, averaging 54.5 and 75.4, and 38.4% respectively, but was not influenced... |
