Harvest time and N fertilization effects on forage yield and quality of quackgrass (Elytrigia repens L.) in northeastern Saskatchewan

Abstract

Beauv.] is a primary noxious weed, but some cattle producers are discovering its value as forage for early-season grazing and for winter feeding as hay. Little information is available on how its production and quality change with advancing maturity and on its response to improved management in the Parkland zone of the Canadian prairies. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of harvest date and N fertilizer (surface-broadcast ammonium nitrate at 0, 56, 112 and 168 kg N ha -1 ) on the forage yield and quality of quackgrass. The study was done on a 10-yr-old quackgrass (≈ 90%) dominated stand on a silty clay loam (Dark Gray Luvisol) soil near Tisdale in northeastern Saskatchewan. For the harvest dates between early June and early September, maximum dry matter yield (DMY) was in August and maximum protein yield (PY) occurred in July. A delay in harvest reduced protein concentration (PC) and total digestible nutrients concentration (TDN), while it increased acid detergent fiber concentration (ADF). The DMY, PC and PY increased with increasing N rate for both Cut 1 (in early July) and Cut 2 (in late September). Strong quadratic relationships were observed between DMY and N rate. The effect of N application was relatively greater on PY than DMY due to the cumulative effect of increases in DMY and PC, and was greater in Cut 1 than in Cut 2. With the increase in N rate, TDN showed a trend of small increase, while ADF tended to decrease. In summary, the results show that N fertilization increases both forage yield and quality of quackgrass. Harvesting in late July or August is likely to provide maximum DMY when one harvest per season is taken. On sait néanmoins peu de choses sur la façon dont la production et la qualité du fourrage évoluent avec sa maturation et sur la réaction de cette espèce aux meilleures pratiques de culture dans la zone des prairies-parcs des Prairies canadiennes. L'étude devait préciser l'incidence du moment de la récolte et des engrais N (0, 56, 112 ou 168 kg de nitrate d'ammonium par hectare épandus à la volée) sur la qualité et le rendement fourragers du chiendent. Elle portait sur un peuplement de dix ans dominé par le chiendent (≈ 90 %) poussant en loam de limon argileux (luvisol gris foncé) près de Tisdale, dans le nord-est de la Saskatchewan. Lorsque la récolte s'effectue entre le début de juin et le début de septembre, le rendement maximum en matière sèche (RMS) survient en août et le rendement maximal en protéines (RP) en juillet. Un retard dans la récolte réduit la concentration de protéines (CP) et d'éléments nutritifs digestibles (END), mais accroît la concentration de fibres au détergent acide (FDA). Le RMS, la CP et le RP augmentent avec le taux d'application de N à la première coupe (début juillet) et à la seconde (fin septembre). Il existe de fortes relations quadratiques entre le RMS et le taux d'application de l'engrais azoté. Ce dernier agit relativement plus sur le RP que sur le RMS en raison de l'effet cumulatif du RMS et de la CP, et cela davantage à la prem...

Fertilization and Mowing Effects on Unimproved Mixed‐Species Hayfields in Quebec, Canada

“…The total DM yields obtained in fertilized plots after 12 wk (4.0–4.2 Mg ha −1 and 6.7–7.5 Mg ha −1 in the Bromus – Poa and Pleum – Lolium hayfields, respectively) is comparable with average yields (2.5–10 Mg ha −1 ) obtained for other cool season perennial grasses in northeastern North America (Durr et al, 2005; Malhi et al, 2003; Cherney et al, 2002; Griffin et al, 2002; Ziadi et al, 2000; Madakadze et al, 1999). Although these hayfields were considered unimproved and under‐utilized, they had moderate to high soil fertility and produced 3.4 to 4.7 Mg ha −1 in unfertilized plots, which is comparable to yields obtained in other fertilized fields in this region (Durr et al, 2005; Griffin et al, 2002).…”

Harvest Time and Fertility Effects on Yield and Quality of Forage from Alfalfa, Hybrid Bromegrass and Their Mixture

“…As would be expected, fertilizer application tended to improve total yield and quality of forage hay in this study. Other studies have found greater yield increases with the addition of fertilizer [2]. The low response to fertilizer in this study can be contributed to good soil nutrient status and the contribution of fixed N from the alfalfa in the alfalfa-bromegrass mixture.…”

Effect of urea fertilization on biomass yield, chemical composition,in vitrorumen digestibility and fermentation characteristics of forage oat straw in Tibet of China

“…Acid detergent fibre consists mainly of cellulose and lignin. Malhi et al (2003) noted that the ADF concentration for a one-time cutting of quack grass ( Elytrigia repens L.) was not affected by ammonium nitrate N fertilization ranging from 0–168 kg/ha. A slight decrease in ADF was seen for ammonium nitrate fertilization and two cuttings.…”

“…Acid detergent fibre consists mainly of cellulose and lignin. Malhi et al (2003) noted that the ADF N, nitrogen; IVDMD, in vitro dry matter disappearance; GP 72 , cumulative gas production at 72 h; A, asymptotic gas production; AGPR, average gas production rate when half of asymptotic gas production occurred; c, constant fractional rate; T 1/2 , the time when half of asymptotic gas production occurred; CO 2 , carbon dioxide; CH 4 , methane; H 2 , hydrogen gas; NS, not significant. * Diluted buffered rumen fluids (75 ml) were incubated for 72 h with 500-mg ground substrate, and the number of observations used in the statistical analysis for each urea N fertilizing level was n = 18.…”