Description
Permanent grasslands located on some organic soils can be sensitive to compaction due to the use of agricultural machinery and their natural tendency for compactness. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of using innovative own constructed aerator on sward botanical composition, dry matter yield and forage quality. The study also looked at the physical properties of the meadow soil. The research was carried out in 2018-2019 using a single-factor field experiment established on a dairy farm located in Wielkopolska region on grassland with the natural organic peat-muck soil compaction. The aerator was constructed by the farmer as a solution of the problem. The aerator was based on a cultivator frame with plate cutting elements. The plates were cutting the sod to a depth of 10-15 cm after harvest of each regrowth. It was found that the grassland aeration had a beneficial effect on the dry matter yield increase from 6.8% to 42.1% in following years, compared to the treatment without the use of aeration. A positive effect of the aerator using was also found in the botanical composition of meadow sward. In the aeration treatment perennial ryegrass and timothy performed well, increasing their share in the sward. The aeration treatment had a positive effect on the content of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, ash and water soluble carbohydrates in the dry matter. Additionally, the differences in soil volumetric moisture content, water deficit in the soil and soil conductivity were found in some analysed regrowths. In conclusion, our study has shown how important in grassland forage production are treatments that improve the productivity of the sward, but they need to be related to the recognition of the local habitat.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Effect of Using a Prototype Aerator on the Botanical Composition and Fodder Production on Grassland with Low Soil Porosity
Permanent grasslands located on some organic soils can be sensitive to compaction due to the use of agricultural machinery and their natural tendency for compactness. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of using innovative own constructed aerator on sward botanical composition, dry matter yield and forage quality. The study also looked at the physical properties of the meadow soil. The research was carried out in 2018-2019 using a single-factor field experiment established on a dairy farm located in Wielkopolska region on grassland with the natural organic peat-muck soil compaction. The aerator was constructed by the farmer as a solution of the problem. The aerator was based on a cultivator frame with plate cutting elements. The plates were cutting the sod to a depth of 10-15 cm after harvest of each regrowth. It was found that the grassland aeration had a beneficial effect on the dry matter yield increase from 6.8% to 42.1% in following years, compared to the treatment without the use of aeration. A positive effect of the aerator using was also found in the botanical composition of meadow sward. In the aeration treatment perennial ryegrass and timothy performed well, increasing their share in the sward. The aeration treatment had a positive effect on the content of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, ash and water soluble carbohydrates in the dry matter. Additionally, the differences in soil volumetric moisture content, water deficit in the soil and soil conductivity were found in some analysed regrowths. In conclusion, our study has shown how important in grassland forage production are treatments that improve the productivity of the sward, but they need to be related to the recognition of the local habitat.
