Mixing Assessment and Loss of Additives in a Forage Harvester

When applying additives (chemical, enzymatic, microbiological) to green forage during harvesting with a forage harvester, the effectiveness of mixing process is estimated by the degree of application uniformity and the loss of additive. Effects of placement of the applicator nozzle for adding liquid sodium benzoate to green forage (red clover), the length of chop, the forage feed rate (throughput) and moisture content of the crop on the quality of application process are discussed in the paper. The main factor affecting the quality of application is the location of the applicator in the forage harvester. The length of chop and the feed rate to the forage harvester have less effect on the amount of additive loss.