Publication Date

1985

Location

Kyoto Japan

Description

Preliminary results of field trials designed to assess the soil fertility status for establishing improved legume based pastures in the alpine zone of Yunnan Province are presented. These trials were undertaken by a joint Chinese-Australian Project which is investigating ways to improve the livestock industry of the Province. The best treatments at one site in the North East yielded about 9000kg of total (grass + legume + weeds) pasture and 7000kg of this was attributable to clover production. At another site in the North West on the Southern Tibetan Plateau summer waterlogging confined the pasture yield to 4000kg DM. Tentative fertilizer recommendations of light to heavy rates of the locally manufactured fused calcium magnesium phosphatic fertilizer are presented which take the catenary position of the landscape and soil chemistry into consideration. Sulphate of potash (S and K} may be required additionally where soils are more leached and it appears that boron and molybdenum should be applied too with the recommended fertilizer but more experiments are needed to precisely define their rates of application. Depressions to the use of lime in the field trials, especially when using the cheaper local quicklime (CaO) may be caused by either alkali burning of the seedlings or through intensification of the boron deficiency.

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Preliminary Fertilizer Requirements for Establishing Legume Based Pastures in the Alpine ZOone of Yunnan

Kyoto Japan

Preliminary results of field trials designed to assess the soil fertility status for establishing improved legume based pastures in the alpine zone of Yunnan Province are presented. These trials were undertaken by a joint Chinese-Australian Project which is investigating ways to improve the livestock industry of the Province. The best treatments at one site in the North East yielded about 9000kg of total (grass + legume + weeds) pasture and 7000kg of this was attributable to clover production. At another site in the North West on the Southern Tibetan Plateau summer waterlogging confined the pasture yield to 4000kg DM. Tentative fertilizer recommendations of light to heavy rates of the locally manufactured fused calcium magnesium phosphatic fertilizer are presented which take the catenary position of the landscape and soil chemistry into consideration. Sulphate of potash (S and K} may be required additionally where soils are more leached and it appears that boron and molybdenum should be applied too with the recommended fertilizer but more experiments are needed to precisely define their rates of application. Depressions to the use of lime in the field trials, especially when using the cheaper local quicklime (CaO) may be caused by either alkali burning of the seedlings or through intensification of the boron deficiency.