A supplementation trial was accomplished with rumen fistulated steers with the objective of verifying the coated urea use as a source of nitrogen of slower and uniform release throughout the time, as well as its effect on cellular wall degradability. The treatments were: hay + mineral supplement; hay + protein supplement with common urea; hay + protein supplement with coated urea formula 1; hay + protein supplement with coated urea formula 2. The forage used was Tifton (Cynodon dactylon L.) hay of low quality (CP: 4.62% and NDF: 83.46%). The measures were: ruminal pH and N-NH3, rumen degradability of NDF and ruminal degradation parameters. Effect (P<0.05) of the nitrogen supplementation on ruminal ammonia nitrogen concentration was verified; however the coated urea was not different (P>0.05) from the common urea. The data of ruminal pH and degradability of NDF were not affected by the treatments (P>0.05) when comparing supplemented or not supplemented diets with degradable protein and also when comparing non-protein nitrogen sources. The coated urea was not superior to the common urea, probably due low efficiency of its protection. The coated urea and the degradable protein supplementation had not been efficient in increasing the cellular wall degradability.
ammonia; coated urea; nitrogen; ruminal degradability; pH
