Sugarcane bagasse with 55% of dry matter (DM) was treated with five levels of urea (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10%) and 5% ground whole soybean as a source of urease both, on a DM basis. The material was stored in plastic bags for 97 days (8 kg/ 50 L plastic bag), and after plastic bag opening, samples were collected at three aeration period (2, 9, and 16 days). A completely randomized design with three replicates was used. There was no effect of urea levels on dry matter content; however, dry matter increased with the increase of the aeration time. There were also increase of crude protein and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) with the increase of urea levels and reduction with the aeration periods increase. There was effect for ADF content as function of the urea levels and aeration periods. The neutral detergent fiber and hemicellulose contents decreased with the urea addition, but increased with the aeration periods. The in vitro dry matter disappearance increased with the addition of urea. The treatment with urea changed the chemical composition and improved the bagasse quality.
ammoniation; bagasse; sugarcane; digestibility; cellular wall; crude protein; urease; urea
