An Alternate Technique of Ammoniation by Ensiling Straw with Urea to Minimize Loss of Added Nitrogen

Abstract

Mandal, A., Sil, B., Santra, A., Kamra, D.N. and Pathak, N.N. 1997. An alternate technique of ammoniation by ensiling straw with urea to minimize loss of added nitrogen. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 11: 195–200.

Two laboratory experiments were conducted on urea ensiling of straw to minimize the loss of added nitrogen and the level of urea in glass jars. Wheat straw at different layers was treated as: lower layer (5 or 4% urea), middle layer (2.5 or 2% urea) and upper layer with either sulphuric acid (4% w/w of straw), molasses (10% w/w of straw) or green maize chaff to constitute about 80% of pre mix. The moisture content was about 50 per cent in straw of all layers except green maize containing layer (29.8 or 28.6%). The glass jars kept at room temperature were opened after 21 days. The CP content increased in upper layer with concomitant increase in pH in all the layers. The results of the experiment indicate that loss of urea can be minimized during urea ammoniation if the upper layers of straw are treated with acids, molasses or green forages, but there was no improvement in in sacco degradability of wheat straw.

Keywords:

• Key words
• Ammoniation
• wheat straw
• urea treatment loss of nitrogen