Utilisation de l'urée comme conservateur de fourrage humide : exemple d'une association sorgho-soja plantes entières (premiers résultats)

Utilization of urea as an additive to wet forage. Whole plants of a Soybean/Sorghum association taken as an example (First results)

Urea is easier to handle than ammonia, but it has rarely been tested as an additive for the conservation of wet forage.ln this trial at Montpellier, Soybean, which is rich in urease, an enzyme transforming urea into ammonia, is associated with grain Sorghum, harvested at an unripe stage. Numerous measurements of digestibility have been made.The first results of this preliminary trial are promising, as regards the stability of the conserved forage. Its nutritive value however, when conserved with urea, seems to be slightly lower to that of the same forage conserved as humid hay with ammonia. Complementary studies are necessary, but this type of forage will in any case only be utilizable within certain limits because of the risks of intoxication.