Track 2-3-2: Impact of Grass and Legumes on Livestock Production, Soil Conservation and the Nitrogen Cycle in Grassland and Forage Ecosystems
Description
Cattlemen in the eastern USA profitably utilize endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) for fall-stockpiled winter grazing. Ergot alkaloid concentration in fescue tends to decline in winter. This improves the quality of fescue for grazing when the supply of other forage becomes limited on most farms. Tall fescue dry matter yields generally respond favorably to nitrogen (N) inputs, but response can be limited with summer application due to accumulation of biologically available N in soil. Research is needed to characterize a diversity of pastures for response to N fertilizer during fall stockpiling.
Biological soil quality can be estimated with a simple measure of soil respiration following rewetting of dried soil (Franzluebbers et al., 2000). The flush of CO2 following rewetting of dried soil has been related to the quantity of N mineralized during longer term incubations (Franzluebbers and Haney, 2006) and to N uptake in field studies of forage growth (Haney et al., 2001).
Soil was collected from a set of pastures in southern Virginia to characterize biological soil quality and determine dry matter yield response to fertilizer N inputs.
Citation
Teutsch, Christopher D.; Shoemaker, Robert; and Franzluebbers, Alan J., "Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) Stockpiling Response to N Fertilizer in Southern Virginia as Affected by Biological Soil Quality" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 13.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/2-3-2/13
Included in
Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) Stockpiling Response to N Fertilizer in Southern Virginia as Affected by Biological Soil Quality
Cattlemen in the eastern USA profitably utilize endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) for fall-stockpiled winter grazing. Ergot alkaloid concentration in fescue tends to decline in winter. This improves the quality of fescue for grazing when the supply of other forage becomes limited on most farms. Tall fescue dry matter yields generally respond favorably to nitrogen (N) inputs, but response can be limited with summer application due to accumulation of biologically available N in soil. Research is needed to characterize a diversity of pastures for response to N fertilizer during fall stockpiling.
Biological soil quality can be estimated with a simple measure of soil respiration following rewetting of dried soil (Franzluebbers et al., 2000). The flush of CO2 following rewetting of dried soil has been related to the quantity of N mineralized during longer term incubations (Franzluebbers and Haney, 2006) and to N uptake in field studies of forage growth (Haney et al., 2001).
Soil was collected from a set of pastures in southern Virginia to characterize biological soil quality and determine dry matter yield response to fertilizer N inputs.
