Element composition of ryegrass and white clover leafblades — seasonal variation in a continuously stocked pasture

Abstract

Concentrations of 12 elements-organic-N, Ca, Mg, K, Na, P, Cl, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, and plantSi-have been determined monthly in ryegrass and white clover leafblades from a continuously stocked hill pasture. Seasonal concentration changes (up to 2-fold) were greatest for organic-N, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, and Mn in ryegrass leafblades and for Ca and Mg in clover leafblades. Leafblades of both ryegrass and clover from sheeptracks had slightly higher organic-N (about a fifth) and lower Ca concentrations than leafblades from the intervening slopes. The concentrations of organic-N, K, and P were correlated with each other and were inversely correlated with Ca and Mg. It is likely that much of the seasonal variation in element concentrations was related to variation in the seasonal supply of N.

Phosphorus in pasture plants: potential implications for phosphorus loss in surface runoff

“…Collectively, legumes (inclusive of herbs) had a greater (P< 0.01; LSD 05 =118 mg kg −1 ) mean total P concentration (3,514 mg kg −1 ) than grasses (3,236 mg kg −1 ). This difference agrees with studies of forage harvested on a monthly basis in New Zealand by Reay and Waugh (1983) and Crush et al (1989) and on an annual basis in the U.S. by Minson (1990) and Pederson et al (2002). However, the difference between legume and grass total P contrasts to the mean concentration of 2,200 mg kg −1 for legumes and 3,600 mg kg −1 for grasses presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (1992).…”