Fertilizer Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulphur Effects on Forage Yield and Quality of Timothy Hay in the Parkland Region of Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

For producers in the Parkland zone of Canadian prairies, timothy (Phleum pratense L.) hay provides another opportunity for crop

Yield and quality responses of irrigated timothy to fertilizer application in southern Alberta

“…At three sites in the Parkland region with just one cut of timothy each year, maximum yields of 8 to 10 Mg ha (1 were obtained with application of 101 to 157 kg N ha (1 (Malhi et al 2004). The higher N requirement in our study was possibly due to the immobilization of N in soil organic matter during the initial years of a perennial grass stand (Bremer et al 2002).…”

“…Phosphorus application significantly increased fibre concentrations of first-cut forage, but did not affect in vitro digestibility (NDF30) ( Table 4). In comparison, Malhi et al (2004) found that P application did not affect fibre concentrations.…”

“…In a study conducted in New Brunswick, Be´langer et al (1989) found that timothy yields were increased by P application at a site with approximately 24 kg extractable P ha (1 [Olsen method; removes approximately 25% less P than the modified Kelowna method (McKenzie et al 2003)]. In the Parkland region of Saskatchewan, Malhi et al (2004) found that timothy yields were increased by P fertilization at a site with 11 kg extractable P ha…”

“…Although extractable soil P is not a very sensitive indicator of P fertilizer response (McKenzie et al 2003;Malhi et al 2004), it is probable that timothy will not benefit from P fertilizer at sites with extractable soil P levels that would be considered adequate or high for typical annual crops (i.e., most irrigated land in southern Alberta).…”

“…Timothy yield also benefited from P and K addition at one location in the Parkland region of Saskatchewan (Malhi et al 2004). Although P and K availability are generally high in irrigated fields in southern Alberta, balanced application of N, P and K may increase yields in the short term due to the high yield potential in this region and may also be required to sustain high yields in the long term.…”