Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate and Harvest Season on Forage Yield, Quality, and Macronutrient Concentrations in Midland Bermuda Grass
Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] is a major forage for grazing and hay production in the southern United States. The objectives of this study were to determine effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization rate (0, 112, 224, 336, and 448 kg ha−1), split spring and summer applications of N at the 224 and 448 kg ha−1 rates, and harvest periods (spring and summer) on forage yield, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total digestible nutrients (TDN), and concentrations of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca in Midland Bermuda grass. Data were collected from 2002 to 2008 as part of an ongoing, long-term soil fertility experiment in southern Oklahoma. Repeated measures analysis of these long-term data showed that forage yield responses to N rate varied with year and harvest time with up to 2.5-fold yield differences among years. Nitrogen fertilization increased CP, TDN, and macronutrient P and Mg and decreased ADF and NDF. Crude protein was increased by ≥50%, and ADF and NDF dropped by up to 25% with the greatest N rate. In general, split N applications did not affect forage yield but produced low-quality forage compared to single N application in spring. Split application of 448 kg N ha−1 gave forage with CP, TDN, ADF, and NDF similar to the Bermuda grass receiving 336 or 448 kg N ha−1 as a single application. Spring forage had better forage quality than summer harvests. While N fertilization increased forage Mg and P concentrations by more than 50% during both spring and summer, it had no effect or slight increased K and Ca concentrations. In the southern Great Plains, despite the weather-dependent variability in forage yield of Bermuda grass, N application increase forage quality.
Nutrient Uptake of Swine Effluent-Fertilized Bermudagrass During Primary Spring and Summer Growth
ABSTRACT Production of bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] hay to manage manure nutrients may differ from production of hay intended for livestock consumption. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between maturity and yield, nutrient concentration, and nutrient uptake in bermudagrass fertilized with swine effluent. Primary spring and summer growth of ‘Coastal’ hybrid and common bermudagrass was harvested every 7 d to 63 d maturity. Effluent applied to Brooksville silty clay loam (fine, smectitic, thermic Aquic Hapludert) during each harvest period contained 140 kg nitrogen (N), 240 kg potassium (K), and 25 kg phosphorus (P) ha− 1 (mean of 2 years). Coastal and common bermudagrass had similar trends for yield, nutrient concentration, and nutrient uptake. Dry-matter production followed a linear trend in the spring (maximum of 1.11kg m− 2 after 63 d) and a quadratic trend in the summer (maximum of 0.96 kg m− 2 after 56 d). Herbage N concentration declined from 33 to 17 g kg− 1 during the spring and summer harvest period, while P concentration declined from 3.8 to 2.4 g kg− 1. Maximum K concentration (26 g kg− 1) occurred at 28 d of growth. Nitrogen, P, and K uptake exhibited a quadratic response to increasing maturity during the spring and summer harvest periods, but maximum uptake was greater in the spring than in the summer. These results suggest that the spring harvest period is the best time to maximize nutrient uptake by delaying bermudagrass harvest to more mature stages.
Potassium availability in relation to soil moisture
SummaryThe objective of this research is to evaluate the influence of soil water content on- the mobility of potassium in soil,- plant growth and- K uptake of plants.
The mobility of K increased with soil moisture. Increasing the volumetric water content (θ) from the 0.1 to 0.4 resulted in a rise of the effective diffusion coefficient (De) by a factor of about 10. This is mainly due to the increase of the tortuosity or impedance factor with higher soil moisture.In order to relate K mobility in soil to the availability of K for plant uptake, onion plants were grown in special containers under constant water content in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 cm3 H2O cm−3 of soil. Results are- both K content and growth of the plants increased with soil moisture,- water content below θ=0.1 reduced root growth- K inflow per unit of root surface increased with soil moisture. Maximum rate of inflow occurred with θ=0.25 in the soil used.
It is therefore concluded that soil moisture affected K availability by affecting both K mobility and root growth.ZusammenfassungDie Arbeit hat das Ziel, den Einfluss des Wassergehaltes des Bodens auf- die Mobilität der Kaliumionen im Boden,- das Pflanzenwachstum und- die K-Aufnahme
Zu bestimmen. Hierzu wurden einerseits Messungen der Mobilität von Kalium im Boden durch-geführt. Sie ergaben eine Erhöhung des effektiven Diffusionskoeffizienten (De) mit ansteigendem volumetrischen Wassergehalt (θ). De nahm um mehr als das Zehnfache zu während θ von 0,1 auf 0,4 anstieg. Dies ist der Erhöhung des Tortuositäts-oder Widerstands-faktors mit steigendem Wassergehalt zuzuschreiben. Um zu prüfen, in welchem Masse die Diffusionsbedingungen im Boden die Pflanzenverfügbarkeit von Kalium beeinflussen, wurde ein Vegetationsversuch durchgeführt. Hierzu wurden Zwiebelpflanzen in speziellen Versuchsgefässen bei konstanten Wassergehalten zwischen 0,1 und 0,4 cm3 H2O/cm3 Boden kultiviert. Die Ergebnisse sind:- K-Konzentration und Ertrag der Pflanzen wurden mit zunehmedem Bodenwassergehalt erhöht.- Der Wassergehalt des Bodens beeinflusste das Wurzelwachstum; unter θ=0,1 nahm die Wurzellänge stark ab.- Die K-Aufnahmerate eines Wurzelabschnitts stieg mit dem Wassergehalt an; bei θ=0,25 war die maximale Aufnahmerate in diesem Boden erreicht.
Bie niedrigem Wassergehalt des Bodens wird die Kalium-Verfügbarkeit demnach beeinträchtigt sowohl durch den Rückgang der Mobilität von Kalium im Boden als auch die Verringerung des Wurzelwachstums.