Nitrogen use efficiency and apparent nitrogen recovery of Kentucky bluegrass, smooth bromegrass, and orchardgrass
2002
Zemenchik, R.A. | Albrecht, K.A.
Nitrogen rate, grass species, and soil type may affect the efficiency of N fertilizer use by cool-season perennial grasses of the North-Central USA. Knowing how these factors affect apparent N recovery (ANR) and N use efficiency (NUE) could help producers reduce N losses into water resources and improve economic returns. Estimated ANR and NUE were determined for monoculture Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) in three separate experiments conducted from 1994 to 1996 on Plano silt loam (Typic Argiudoll) and Rozetta silt loam (Typic Hapludalf) near Arlington and Lancaster WI, respectively. Swards were managed in a three-harvest system and given N fertilizer split-applied at annual rates of 0, 56, 112, 168, 224, and 336 kg N ha-1. As expected, total forage dry matter (DM) yield increased for all species with increased N rate. Mean ANR at either location ranged from 0.28 to 0.47 kg N (kg N applied)-1 for Kentucky bluegrass, 0.17 to 0.44 for smooth bromegrass, and 0.32 to 0.50 for orchardgrass. Similarly, mean NUE ranged from 12 to 18 kg forage DM (kg N)-1 for Kentucky bluegrass, 9 to 16 for smooth bromegrass, and from 11 to 28 for orchardgrass. Relatively stable ANR values during drought, greater annual DM yields, and a more seasonally uniform growth habit suggest that orchardgrass may be the most prodigious N user among the species studied and would provide the least risk for N losses to the environment.
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