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Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Diversitas Journal is the property of Diversitas Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We evaluated the effects of urea addition on gas and effluent losses, fermentation profile, microbial populations, aerobic stability and chemical composition of corn silages. A completely randomised design with five levels of urea (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% based on dry matter) and five replicates was used. A decreasing linear effect of urea levels on effluent losses in corn silages was observed. In parallel, an increasing linear effect of urea levels on pH, increasing from 3.49 to 4.12 in silages without urea in relation to silages with the maximum urea level, was also observed. Urea addition improved the aerobic stability of the silages, with 62 h for the silages without urea and from 90 to >96 h for the silages with urea. Based on the results of the principal components, two groups (I and II) could be distinguished. The most discriminating variables in group I were dry matter (-0.9), pH (-1.2) and lactic acid bacteria (-0.9), while in group II, effluent losses (1.0), ethanol (1.0), acetic acid (0.8) and gas losses (0.8) were most important. The use of urea at inclusion levels of around 2% in corn silage reduced gas losses, improved the nutritive value and promote the aerobic stability of silages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]