In order to investigate mineral properties in manure, soil, plant and water of pot‐cultured napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach cv. Wruk wona), napiergrass plants were grown in a sandy soil of 1/2000 a Wagner pots, designated as a plant (P) plot and a without‐plant (WP) plot and were set under the same levels of manure application to compare the mineral properties with a P plot in 2002 and 2003. Plants were treated under four (control, low, medium and high) and three (control, low and high) levels of basal cattle manure application in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphoric acid (TP) concentrations of applied manure were higher than those of sampled manure during the growing period in all application levels in both P and WP plots, while the rate of decrease in each element was higher in P plots than in WP plots. Soil inorganic nitrogen (IN) concentration changed in the same pattern with the soil electric conductivity (EC), was lower in P plots than in WP plots and also decreased greatly from July to August and tended to decrease from August to September in all manure application levels. The contents and concentrations of TN and TP in the whole plant, as well as in each plant part of napiergrass, increased with the increase in manure application and the major nutrient elements of total potassium (TK), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) contents also increased, where the equivalent ratio of K/(Ca + Mg) was higher in stem with leaf sheath than in leaf blade. In all application levels, TN concentrations of percolating water were consistently lower in P plots than in WP plots and were not significantly different among application levels in P plots, while they increased with the increase in manure application in WP plots. Nitrogen and phosphoric acid use efficiencies by napiergrass in P plots were calculated at approximately 42% and 25–30%, respectively. The significance of accumulated nutrients from the previous cropping by manure application was discussed under the sequence of cropping systems in napiergrass.
Digested effluent produced by a biogas-plant contains essential plant nutrients to solve the treated and disposal problems of livestock manure. Dwarf variety of late-heading type (dwarf) napiergrass as a perennial summer crop and intercropping of over-sown Italian ryegrass as an annual winter crop were applied to 3 levels of digested effluent in southern Kyushu from 2007 to 2009. Digested effluent revealed so effective fertilizer as chemical one to increase dry matter yield, wintering ability and forage quality in crude protein concentration and in vitro dry matter digestibility (digestibility) with increasing application rate. Digestibility in leaf blade of napiergrass and that in whole Italian ryegrass were positively correlated with acid detergent lignin and neutral detergent fiber concentrations, respectively, which might be mediated with reducing tiller size with defoliation proceeded. The present cropping systems have a potential under sufficient application of the effluent to achieve sustainable quality herbage production in southern Kyushu, Japan.
Dwarf Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) pasture is suitable for beef cow grazing in warm regions of Japan, while it is not assessed for the suitability by a herd of dairy cows in the region. This study was conducted to determine the effects of Digested Effluent (DE) application on herbage yield and quality, Herbage Consumption (HC) and Dry Matter Intake (DMI) under a paddock scale of rotational grazing by a herd of dairy cows on dwarf Napier grass pasture in southern Kyushu, Japan for two years in 2007 and 2008. Plant growth attributes, such as plant height, tiller number and herbage mass and HC increased consistently from the first to the second or third grazing cycle in the two years. Pre-grazing herbage mass was averaged at 176 and 193 g m −2 in Chemical Fertilizer (CF) and DE treatments, respectively and HC and DMI did not differ between the two treatments. Overwintering ability was almost perfect in Miyazaki, judged by 97.1% of regrown plants in May 2008. Thus, dwarf Napier grass pasture fertilized with liquid DE can be utilized by dairy cow grazing as the same with CF fertilization, where DMI was averaged at 4.4 kg dry matter head −1 day −1 for 3 summer months in the two years.
The effect of the different clipping time on the yield and quality of Dwarf Napiergrass under manure application were investigated in this experiment. In relation to plant growth and quality, the needs of grassland for fertilizer nutrients are influenced by the intensity of management, by whether the forage crop is harvested by clipping and the botanical composition of the forage crop. Manure contains essential plant nutrients and to use as a soil amendment for crop production is a practical method, so as to solve the disposal problem of livestock. Dwarf napiergrass as a perennial summer crop under the blocked design with 2 plants m−2 were applied to 3 levels of manure and 4 clipping times. The manure revealed so effective fertilizer to increase dry matter yield, and forage quality, especially in crude protein content and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) at the same clipping time with the increase in manure application level.
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