Uptake of Selected Nutrients by Temperate Grasses and Legumes

Abstract

proximately 70% of the broiler chickens produced nationally in 1999 were produced in Arkansas, Georgia, Temperate forages are used throughout the southeastern USA to Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Tennesprovide feed for livestock when tropical and subtropical grasses are dormant and as a hay source. Long-term utilization of broiler litter see, and South Carolina (Natl. Agric. Statistics Serv., as a fertilizer in some areas of the region has elevated soil levels of 1999). A large proportion of the litter (a mixture of P and micronutrients. Our objective was to compare P, Cu, and Zn manure, wasted feed, feathers, and wood shavings or uptake among temperate forage species from a Savannah fine sandy other crop residue) is applied to hay fields and pastures. loam soil (fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Fragiudult) Litter application may occur anytime during the year, amended with litter under a single-harvest system. Dry weight of depending on when a flock is removed from the house. ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) herbage was greater than all If litter is applied to a dormant perennial or dead annual other species except ball clover (Trifolium nigrescens Viv.) in 1997 and tropical grass hay field or pasture during the winter and oat (Avena sativa L.) in 1998. Clovers were susceptible to Sclerotinia spring, the presence of an actively growing temperate crown and stem rot (Sclerotinia trifoliorum Erikss.) that reduced forage will reduce the potential for P loss, largely by plant density, vigor, and dry herbage weight. Although forage P concentration of all species was similar to or greater than ryegrass, only reducing sediment movement in runoff (Sharpley et crimson clover (T. incarnatum L.) had P uptake equal to ryegrass al., 1994). during both years (mean of 23.4 kg ha Ϫ1 ). This was attributed to the Frequent litter application also contributes to the achigh correlation between dry herbage weight and P uptake (r ϭ 0.95 cumulation of P and metals in the soil such as Cu and and 0.89 in 1997 and 1998, respectively). Legumes typically had greaterZn, which are added to poultry diets to improve weight Cu and Zn concentrations than ryegrass, but only crimson clover and gain and prevent diseases (Han et al., 2000). A benefit hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) had comparatively greater Cu and of utilizing temperate species is that when harvested for Zn uptake during both years. The combination of desirable agronomic hay, they provide a means of exporting these minerals traits and nutrient uptake capacity make annual ryegrass a superior from fields where manure is applied (Brink and Rowe, temperate forage species for use in southeastern pastures fertilized 1999). Temperate forages can thus serve in both a feed with broiler litter. and nutrient management role (Daniel et al., 1998) in hay and pasture systems receiving broiler litter as a fertilizer source.

Legumes have a greater effect on rhizosphere properties (pH, organic acids and enzyme activity) but a smaller impact on soil P compared to other cover crops

“…Biomass and P uptake were higher in legumes in this study, although these are typically higher in cereals in field conditions (Brink et al 2001;Maltais-Landry et al 2014). This could be due to N limitation and/or a shorter growing period for cereals, as N was more available to plant uptake and growth periods were similar among plants in field conditions.…”

Phosphorus in pasture plants: potential implications for phosphorus loss in surface runoff

“…This data indicated that storage of P in water extractable form, potentially available for loss in surface runoff, is greater on a dry-weight basis for the legumes studied than for the grasses. However, the true runoff potential will be determined by the relative yields of species and whether or not legumes are sown as part of a mixed pasture (Brink et al 2001). …”

Double-cropping annual ryegrass and bermudagrass to reduce phosphorus levels in soil with history of poultry litter application

“…Elevated Cu and Zn is consistent with the practice of adding micronutrients to poultry rations, their subsequent excretion in litter (Sistani et al 2003), and low rate of removal in the harvested forage (Pederson et al 2002;Read et al 2007). Brink et al (2001Brink et al ( , 2004 reported hybrid bermudagrass removed only 1.0-1.5% of Cu and 7-13% of Zn, as compared to 15-27% of P that was applied in 11.8 Mg ha -1 litter to Savannah soil with long history of litter. In the present study and similar to M3-P, soil Cu and Zn were elevated at litter rates greater than 4.48 Mg ha -1 and micronutrient levels were consistently greater in 0-5 than the 5-15 cm soil depth (Table 5).…”