Effect of nitrogen fertiliser supply and winter cutting on morphological composition and herbage digestibility of aDactylis glomerata L sward in spring

Duru, Michel; Delprat, Vincent; Fabre, C.; Feuillerac, E.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(20000101)80:1<33::aid-jsfa473>3.0.co;2-z

Cited by 24 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The results obtained here over a wider climatic gradient, with major differences in community composition between sites, differ from what could be observed within sites in response to interannual variations in water availability, showing that low soil moisture increases digestibility at the intraspecific level by reducing plant growth and stem development (Duru et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Plant trait–digestibility relationships across management and climate gradients in permanent grasslands

Gardarin

Garnier

Carrère³

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Ecology

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International audience1. Dry matter digestibility is a critical component of herbage nutritive value, a major service delivered by grasslands. The aim of this study was to test whether the dominance hypothesis applies to assess the impacts of environmental gradients and management regimes on thiscomponent of herbage nutritive value in permanent grasslands. 2. At the plant level, digestibility has been related to a number of functional traits, but whether this can be scaled up to the community level in species-rich grasslands and how such relationships are modulated by environmental conditions and management regimes remainunknown. Our primary objective was to test whether community-weighted means – species trait values weighted by the species abundance – of morphological, phenological and chemical traits could be used to explain variations in digestibility over a large range of climatic contexts,soil resource levels and management regimes. Our second objective was to explain variations in community digestibility within and among nine contrasting sites along large natural and man-induced environmental gradients.3. Over the whole data set, digestibility and most community-weighted means of traits responded to climatic factors and management regimes, but relations were not always significant when each site was considered separately. Community digestibility was significantly related to one or more plant traits within each site and to all of the measured traits when considering all the sites. Leaf dry matter content (LDMC) had the most consistent effects on digestibility, with a strikingly similar negative effect within each site. Potential evapotranspiration was negatively related to digestibility and contributed to explain a large part of the among-site variance. In addition, a low return interval of disturbance and a high disturbance intensity (biomass removal) were both associated with a high digestibility.4. Synthesis and applications. Disturbance regime, plant traits and local climate impacted dry matter digestibility roughly equally in grasslands. The effects of community composition on digestibility and its response to abiotic factors could be successfully captured by community weightedmeans of leaf dry matter content. This functional marker can be used to develop indicators and grassland management rules to support farmers in the refinement of their practices towards specific needs, such as target production outputs

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Plant trait–digestibility relationships across management and climate gradients in permanent grasslands

Gardarin

Garnier

Carrère³

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…The changes in DM digestibility of herbage are assessed according to N fertilizer supply and the grazing interval, which lies between Min[GI max , GI¢ max ] and Max[GI min , GI¢ min ]. The leaves are also longer (Duru et al, 2000a) and less and less digestible as the sheaths grow longer (Duru et al, 1999b). During regrowth, leaves appear more and more slowly (Duru et al, 1999a).…”

Section: The Three Steps Of the Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of herbage nitrogen status to optimize herbage composition and intake and to minimize nitrogen excretion: an assessment of grazing management flexibility for dairy cows

Duru¹,

Delaby²

2003

Grass and Forage Science

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A framework for managing rotationally grazed pastures for dairy cattle which enables the cows’ energy and protein requirements to be met while simultaneously limiting the amount of N excreted in order to reduce N losses is described. The first objective is achieved by ensuring that lamina mass and the N concentration of herbage do not limit herbage intake or feeding value. The second objective is achieved by limiting N fertilizer supply or increasing the interval between defoliations to reduce the N concentration of herbage. Lower and upper thresholds for the N concentration of herbage and lamina mass were estimated from published data. The method is illustrated using two vegetative regrowths (beginning and end of spring) in a cutting experiment with two fertilizer treatments, 0 or 120 kg N ha−1 (−N and +N), and early or late cutting. Decreasing N supply led to a reduction in grazing management flexibility, i.e. the defoliation interval ranges which were compatible with the required sward characteristics (minimum lamina mass and N concentration of lamina) for herbage intake and to meet the protein requirements of dairy cows. Aiming for the upper threshold N concentration of herbage increased the minimum interval between defoliations only for the +N treatments. Nevertheless, grazing management flexibility remained the highest for the +N treatments.

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“…The effect of vegetation nutrient status on the number and sometimes on the percentage of reproductive tillers was described previously for grasses bred for high nutrient availability including D. glomerata (Calder & Cooper 1961) and Lolium perenne (Wilkins 1995). In these cases, nutrient deficiency reduced, or more commonly delayed, the number of tillers reaching the double ridge stage (Duru et al 2000). However, our data show that this effect was not observed in F. rubra, although the fertilizer treatment and the range of vegetation nutrient status were similar (data not shown).…”

Section: Stem Proportion Can Be Estimated From the Proportion Of Reprmentioning

confidence: 47%

“…However, it is accepted that pasture grasses have similar reproductive strategies consisting of both vegetative regeneration and seed production (Grime 2001). However, as this trait is very plastic in relation to nutrient availability (Duru et al 2000), we study whether both a response trait (the proportion of reproductive tillers) and an effect trait (the proportion of stem in the vegetation mass) have the same range of plasticity, in particular when there are differences in nutrient availability. However, as this trait is very plastic in relation to nutrient availability (Duru et al 2000), we study whether both a response trait (the proportion of reproductive tillers) and an effect trait (the proportion of stem in the vegetation mass) have the same range of plasticity, in particular when there are differences in nutrient availability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using plant traits to compare sward structure and composition of grass species across environmental gradients

Duru¹,

Cruz²,

Magda³

2004

Appl Veg Sci

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Plant traits which may give an indication of a plant's strategy for nutrient acquisition and regeneration are known for numerous grassland species. This study aimed to establish whether there is any relationship between two plant traits: specific leaf area (SLA) and number of reproductive tillers, and sward structural characteristics which influence herbage intake by grazers (bulk density and digestibility, leaf:stem ratio). Comparison is made for nutrient-rich (Dactylis glomerata) and nutrient-poor (Festuca rubra) grass species. We hypothesized that these traits are responsive to environmental gradients and also act on the processes of the ecosystem. Both grasses were compared with two P-fertilizer rates in two localities (200 and 1300 m a.s.l.) which differed in their temperature:radiation ratios. For the vegetative phase SLA was well correlated with sward characteristics: D. glomerata, which has the higher SLA, has the lower bulk density and higher digestibility. The values of SLA and vegetation bulk density varied according to growing conditions (P-rate and temperature:radiation ratio), but the ranking of the species remained the same because the phenotypic plasticity that exists for plant traits was also observed for sward structure and composition. That suggested the possibility of grouping natural grassland species for their relevant characteristics for grazers according to SLA values. Over the reproductive phase, the proportion of stems was well correlated to the percentage of reproductive tillers. However, the percentage of reproductive tillers was a very plastic trait for both species, depending on the growing conditions, and resulting in a density-dependent effect, particularly for F. rubra. The species studied were too plastic and too similar in their regenerative strategy so that there is no unique relationship between percentage of reproductive tillers and stem proportion, regardless of the species and the growing conditions. The number of reproductive tillers is not a suitable plant trait which could be used to rank species for leaf and stem proportions in the sward.

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Effect of nitrogen fertiliser supply and winter cutting on morphological composition and herbage digestibility of aDactylis glomerata L sward in spring

Cited by 24 publications

References 21 publications

Plant trait–digestibility relationships across management and climate gradients in permanent grasslands

Plant trait–digestibility relationships across management and climate gradients in permanent grasslands

The use of herbage nitrogen status to optimize herbage composition and intake and to minimize nitrogen excretion: an assessment of grazing management flexibility for dairy cows

Using plant traits to compare sward structure and composition of grass species across environmental gradients

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