Seasonal variation of the productivity and quality of permanent pastures in Adisols of temperate regions

Abstract

With the aim of evaluating the productivity (dry matter yield) and quality (protein and fiber) of pastures in temperate regions of Chile a long-term monitoring experiment was carried out in a representative farm in these regions. The study was carried during the years 2002 -2012 in a farm located at Region of Los Ríos, Chile. The study area was split into fifteen pasture sites, which were evaluated dry matter production by means of the standardized methodology, which considers the location on each pasture site a grazing exclusion cage. With the information generated during the 11 years of measurements, a trend pattern interpolation was developed by a polynomial regression model using fifth grade and centering the independent variable from the second grade on. Each result was classified according to the ranking provided by the BLUP methodology, comparing the results obtained with the average. The analysis of variance mixed model, determined by the variance components, indicated that 60% of the total variation in dry matter production is attributed to seasonality. Only 2.6% of the variation was attributable to the year while a 0.9% was due to differences between pastures sites, during the eleven years of study, with no significant data (p> 0.05). The seasonal distribution of production, concentrated its performance in spring and highest performing months were November, December, January. The quality measured as protein and fiber content of the pasture, does not present statistical differences between years and only differences were determined by seasonality.

Validation of a critical nitrogen dilution curve for hybrid ryegrasses

“…Results of the present study showed a wide range of forage yields and plant N concentrations in two hybrid ryegrass cultivars grown under rainfed conditions, mainly as a product of N levels (seven levels) and harvest times. Forage yields observed in the present study are in line with those reported by Demanet, Mora, Herrera, Miranda, and Barea () and Loaiza, Balocchi, and Bertrand () under rainfed conditions of southern Chile with production, depending on environmental conditions, ranging from <1 to <5 Mg DM/ha per harvest. The plant N concentrations found in this study are in line with previous studies conducted with annual and perennial ryegrasses.…”

Assessment of phosphorus status influenced by Al and Fe compounds in volcanic grassland soils

“…The knowledge of the P input fate ingrassland soils is very important to design fertilization management strategies. The annual dry matter production in permanent pastures like those studied here range from 9.80 Mg ha -1 year -1 to 17 Mg ha -1 year -1 , with an average of 13.5 Mg ha -1 year -1 (Demanet et al, 2015). Phosphorus fertilization has been similar in our experimental sites (50 to 100 kgha -1 year -1…”

“…In the case of Chilean Andisols, dairy and meat production in Southern Chile is based on the use of highly productive forage species, especially ryegrass (Lolium perenne) alone or mixed with clover (Trifolium repens) Demanet et al (2015). The productivity of these grass species has been studied showing the negative effects of high Al saturation on P availability in soils (Mora et al, 2002), thus reducing pasture production and quality (Mora et al, 2006).…”

The Effect of Drying Methods on Water-Soluble Carbohydrates and Crude Protein Concentrations and Their Ratio in Two Perennial Ryegrass Cultivars

“…Crude protein concentration followed the seasonal pattern of greater CP concentration in the winter and lower in the spring [45,46]. Previous studies comparing perennial ryegrass found CP concentrations of between 60-61 and 340-353 g kg −1 DM, with a mean of 180-229 g kg −1 DM [47,48].…”