Response of grass swards to fertilizer N under cutting or grazing

Jackson, Marion; Williams, Thomas

doi:10.1017/s002185960005379x

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Overall, herbage production was lower in the grazing experiment than the amount that the cutting experiment would suggest was available for grazing. Similar to findings reported by Jackson and Williams (1979) and Binnie and Chestnutt (1991), this indicates that results from cutting experiments cannot be used to predict herbage DM yields and responses to N fertilizer under grazing conditions. In most regrowth periods, herbage growth was greater on the cut plots than the grazing plots.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Manipulation of herbage production by altering the pattern of applying nitrogen fertilizer

Hennessy

O’Donovan

French

et al. 2008

Grass and Forage Science

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The redistribution of herbage production during the growing season to synchronize herbage supply with feed demand by livestock by altering the application pattern of a range of nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates was studied. Application rates of N were 50, 150 and 250 kg N ha )1 per annum and patterns were with 0AE60 of N fertilizer applied before June (treatment RN) and with only 0AE20 of N fertilizer before June (treatment IN). Treatments were imposed in a cutting (simulated grazing) experiment (Experiment 1), which was conducted for 2 years and a grazing experiment (Experiment 2) which was conducted for 3 years. In both experiments, herbage production was reduced in April and May and increased in the June-October period on treatment IN relative to RN, but annual herbage production was not significantly affected except in the third year of Experiment 2, when treatment RN had significantly (P < 0AE05) higher herbage production than treatment IN. Crude protein (CP) concentration of herbage was lower in April and May on treatment IN than treatment RN. However, CP concentration of herbage was rarely below 150 g kg )1 DM and so it is unlikely that livestock productivity would be compromised. On treatment IN, concentrations of CP in herbage were higher in the late summer than on treatment RN, which may increase livestock productivity during July and August when livestock productivity is often lower. Altering the strategy of application of N fertilizer did not affect in vitro dry matter digestibility of herbage.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Manipulation of herbage production by altering the pattern of applying nitrogen fertilizer

Hennessy

O’Donovan

French

et al. 2008

Grass and Forage Science

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“…In several subsequent trials, the effects of splitting N doses and harvesting at 6-week intervals (' GM21') was investigated (Morrison 1980) and in a further development the response of grass swards to fertilizer N was made under both cutting-only and grazingonly managements ('GM22 '). This latter work was to show lower responses to N under grazing, suggesting that the results of fertilizer N experiments obtained under cutting could not be applied uncritically to grazed situations (Jackson & Williams 1979). A number of parallel studies were conducted elsewhere in Europe during the same period, notably in the Netherlands, which were to highlight the sward deterioration effects and subsequent herbage yield loss associated with very high N inputs (above 500 kg N/ha) (Prins 1984).…”

Section: G Ra S Sla N D Pro Du C T I Onmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperate grassland: key developments in the last century and future perspectives

Hopkins¹,

Wilkins²

2006

J. Agric. Sci.

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SU MMARYIn temperate regions, grassland provides most of the feed requirements for ruminants. Its management has implications for landscape and environmental quality as well as agricultural production. The present paper reviews the key developments in grassland management, production and utilization during the 20th century, focusing primarily on the UK but drawing on research and practice from other areas. Increased production from grassland has arisen from improved understanding of soil and plant nutrition, plant physiology and cultivar improvement, while improved understanding of feed evaluation, ruminant nutrition, grazing management and silage technology have contributed to increased utilization of grassland under grazing and cutting. Permanent and long-term swards occupied most of the total grassland area at both the beginning and end of the century, but inputs of nitrogen resulted in greatly increased herbage production, particularly from the 1960s; this, combined with reseeding and early cutting for silage, led to reduced botanical diversity with ryegrass dominance in lowland areas. Forage legumes were highly regarded at the beginning of the century, then decreased in many areas, but are again recognized as having a key role in low-and medium-input systems. Recognition of the environmental implications of grassland management has increased since the 1980s. This includes the need to reduce nutrient emissions in grassland agriculture, and also the role of grassland in biodiversity protection, carbon sequestration and landscape quality. Research is increasingly focused on addressing these issues and on integrating agricultural management with environmental protection. Improved nutrient management, legume-based systems and agrienvironmental schemes, as well as interest in the food quality attributes of particular systems and grassland communities, are important in the medium term. In the longer term the effects of population increase, competition for other land uses and the impacts of climate change could impact on global food supplies and affect future grassland management in the temperate zones.

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“…For example, higher herbage yield under cutting compared to grazing were observed by Binnie and Chestnutt [24] and Jackson and Williams [25]. In contrast, Creighton et al [26] found no difference in herbage production between grazing and cutting; Lantinga et al [27] found 10% higher herbage production in animal-grazed swards compared to cutting swards at 250 kg N ha -1 , whereas the difference disappeared at 550 kg N ha -1 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Diversity Effects on Productivity, Persistence and Quality of Multispecies Swards in a Four-Year Experiment

et al. 2017

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Plant species diversity may benefit natural grassland productivity, but its effect in managed grassland systems is not well understood. A four-year multispecies grassland experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of species diversity–legumes and non-leguminous forbs–on productivity, persistence and sward quality under cutting or grazing regimes and with or without slurry application. Three mixtures were established– 3-mix: grass, red and white clover, 10-mix: 3-mix plus birdsfoot trefoil and six non-leguminous forbs, and 12-mix: 10-mix plus lucerne and festulolium. Species diversity increased sward production and yield persistence under cutting regime. The 12-mix had the highest yield from the second year onwards and no statistically significant yield reduction over four years, while annual yields in the 3-mix and 10-mix decreased significantly with increasing grassland age. The higher yield in the 12-mix was mainly due to the inclusion of high-yielding lucerne. The 10-mix and 12-mix had lower proportions of unsown species than the 3-mix, the difference being dependent on grassland age. Generally, the 3-mix had higher concentrations of in-vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and crude protein (CP), and a lower concentration of ash than the 10-mix and 12-mix. Slurry application increased annual yield production by 10% and changed the botanical composition, increasing the proportion of grass and decreasing the proportion of legumes. Compared to cutting, grazing increased forage production by 9% per cut on average and lowered legume and forb proportions in the mixtures, but yields did not differ among the three mixtures. Overall, our results suggest that species diversity increases sward productivity and persistence only under an ungrazed cutting regime. We conclude that increasing species diversity by selecting appropriate species with compatible management is key to achieving both high yields and high persistence in managed grasslands.

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Response of grass swards to fertilizer N under cutting or grazing

Cited by 23 publications

References 6 publications

Manipulation of herbage production by altering the pattern of applying nitrogen fertilizer

Manipulation of herbage production by altering the pattern of applying nitrogen fertilizer

Temperate grassland: key developments in the last century and future perspectives

Species Diversity Effects on Productivity, Persistence and Quality of Multispecies Swards in a Four-Year Experiment

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