Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case Study
The productivity of fodder legumes, based on internal sources of N, may be limited due to an insufficient supply of nutrients responsible for the efficient use of N accumulated by the crop during the growing season. Production risk occurs on soils that are naturally poor or depleted in nutrients tha...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/7/1765 |
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| author | Waldemar Zielewicz Witold Grzebisz Katarzyna Przygocka-Cyna Piotr Goliński |
| author_facet | Waldemar Zielewicz Witold Grzebisz Katarzyna Przygocka-Cyna Piotr Goliński |
| author_sort | Waldemar Zielewicz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The productivity of fodder legumes, based on internal sources of N, may be limited due to an insufficient supply of nutrients responsible for the efficient use of N accumulated by the crop during the growing season. Production risk occurs on soils that are naturally poor or depleted in nutrients that are decisive for the fixation and utilization of N<sub>2</sub> by alfalfa. This hypothesis was validated on the basis of a field experiment with an alfalfa–grass mixture carried out over three main seasons (2012−2014) on soil low in available potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and sulfur (S). The experiment involved two factors that contained two levels of applied gypsum (GYP: 0, 500 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) fertilized with P and K (POT: absolute control—AC, P60K0, P60K30, P60K60, and P60K120). In each main season of the alfalfa–grass mixture, the sward was mowed three times (three cuts). The total sward yield (TY) reached its maximum in the second main season (15.6 t DW ha<sup>−1</sup>), then it significantly decreased. The sward yield of the third cut was the main driver of the TY. The content of P in the first cut, and especially P and S in the third cut of the sward, affected the N:P and P:S ratios, which, in turn, determined the productivity of the alfalfa–grass mixture. The total amount of accumulated N (TN) in the sward significantly responded to gypsum and PK fertilizers. In the first and third main seasons, the highest TN was found on the plot fertilized with both gypsum and 120 kg K<sub>2</sub>O ha<sup>−1</sup>. In the second main season, the TY was determined by PK dose, being variable in successive years. The highest total N accumulation (TN) was recorded in the second main season. It reached 504 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> on the plots with GYP−0 and 436 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> for GYP−500. However, the corresponding TY was 16.7 and 17.3 t DW ha<sup>−1</sup>. This apparent discrepancy was due to the much higher productivity of N, which was 33.2 and 39.6 kg fodder DW ha<sup>−1</sup> TN, respectively. These two characteristics clearly indicate that the productivity of the accumulated N by the alfalfa–grass sward was significantly restricted by the shortage of P and S. The studies clearly emphasized that the sward of the alfalfa–grass mixture grown on soil depleted in available K, Ca, and S responds significantly to the combined application of gypsum and potassium, but provides effective control of the P supply, even on soil rich in available P. |
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| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-c4e4560daadb4e0e803992812bd0828a2023-11-18T17:55:49ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952023-06-01137176510.3390/agronomy13071765Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case StudyWaldemar Zielewicz0Witold Grzebisz1Katarzyna Przygocka-Cyna2Piotr Goliński3Department of Grassland and Natural Landscape Sciences, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Agricultural Chemistry and Environmental Biogeochemistry, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Agricultural Chemistry and Environmental Biogeochemistry, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Grassland and Natural Landscape Sciences, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, PolandThe productivity of fodder legumes, based on internal sources of N, may be limited due to an insufficient supply of nutrients responsible for the efficient use of N accumulated by the crop during the growing season. Production risk occurs on soils that are naturally poor or depleted in nutrients that are decisive for the fixation and utilization of N<sub>2</sub> by alfalfa. This hypothesis was validated on the basis of a field experiment with an alfalfa–grass mixture carried out over three main seasons (2012−2014) on soil low in available potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and sulfur (S). The experiment involved two factors that contained two levels of applied gypsum (GYP: 0, 500 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) fertilized with P and K (POT: absolute control—AC, P60K0, P60K30, P60K60, and P60K120). In each main season of the alfalfa–grass mixture, the sward was mowed three times (three cuts). The total sward yield (TY) reached its maximum in the second main season (15.6 t DW ha<sup>−1</sup>), then it significantly decreased. The sward yield of the third cut was the main driver of the TY. The content of P in the first cut, and especially P and S in the third cut of the sward, affected the N:P and P:S ratios, which, in turn, determined the productivity of the alfalfa–grass mixture. The total amount of accumulated N (TN) in the sward significantly responded to gypsum and PK fertilizers. In the first and third main seasons, the highest TN was found on the plot fertilized with both gypsum and 120 kg K<sub>2</sub>O ha<sup>−1</sup>. In the second main season, the TY was determined by PK dose, being variable in successive years. The highest total N accumulation (TN) was recorded in the second main season. It reached 504 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> on the plots with GYP−0 and 436 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> for GYP−500. However, the corresponding TY was 16.7 and 17.3 t DW ha<sup>−1</sup>. This apparent discrepancy was due to the much higher productivity of N, which was 33.2 and 39.6 kg fodder DW ha<sup>−1</sup> TN, respectively. These two characteristics clearly indicate that the productivity of the accumulated N by the alfalfa–grass sward was significantly restricted by the shortage of P and S. The studies clearly emphasized that the sward of the alfalfa–grass mixture grown on soil depleted in available K, Ca, and S responds significantly to the combined application of gypsum and potassium, but provides effective control of the P supply, even on soil rich in available P.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/7/1765yieldsuccessive sward cutsgypsumphosphorus/potassium fertilizersnutrient content and ratiosnutrient unit productivity |
| spellingShingle | Waldemar Zielewicz Witold Grzebisz Katarzyna Przygocka-Cyna Piotr Goliński Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case Study Agronomy yield successive sward cuts gypsum phosphorus/potassium fertilizers nutrient content and ratios nutrient unit productivity |
| title | Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case Study |
| title_full | Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case Study |
| title_short | Productivity of Nitrogen Accumulated in Alfalfa–Grass Sward Cultivated on Soil Depleted in Basic Nutrients: A Case Study |
| title_sort | productivity of nitrogen accumulated in alfalfa grass sward cultivated on soil depleted in basic nutrients a case study |
| topic | yield successive sward cuts gypsum phosphorus/potassium fertilizers nutrient content and ratios nutrient unit productivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/7/1765 |
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