Theme 04: Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition
Description
The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer to temperate pastures is an increasingly popular management tool for boosting pasture production on dairy farms in Australia. However, limited information is available about N fertilizer responses that can be obtained from pastures with varying levels of phosphorus (P) fertility. A field experiment examining the initial and residual response of pasture growth to urea was carried out within a large dairy farmlet study, in October 1998. The four P fertility treatments (Olsen P values) ranged from 9 to 32 mg/kg. Dry matter yields increased with increasing N rates in all treatments, at both harvests. Only pastures with Olsen P values of < 12 mg/kg had a significantly lower response to N fertilizer.
Citation
Gourley, C. J. P.; Frame, H.; and Hall, M. E., "Responses to Nitrogen Fertilizer in Dairy Pastures with Differing Phosphorus Fertility in South Eastern Australia" (2021). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 9.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/19/4/9
Responses to Nitrogen Fertilizer in Dairy Pastures with Differing Phosphorus Fertility in South Eastern Australia
The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer to temperate pastures is an increasingly popular management tool for boosting pasture production on dairy farms in Australia. However, limited information is available about N fertilizer responses that can be obtained from pastures with varying levels of phosphorus (P) fertility. A field experiment examining the initial and residual response of pasture growth to urea was carried out within a large dairy farmlet study, in October 1998. The four P fertility treatments (Olsen P values) ranged from 9 to 32 mg/kg. Dry matter yields increased with increasing N rates in all treatments, at both harvests. Only pastures with Olsen P values of < 12 mg/kg had a significantly lower response to N fertilizer.
