Abstract
The yield response of grass swards to fertilizer nitrogen (N) differs under cutting and grazing, as grazing cattle exert positive and negative effects on pasture production, with varying negative effects on different soil types. Nevertheless, current N fertilization recommendations in the Netherlands are based mainly on economic cost-benefit analyses of long-term cutting trials in small plots. To contribute to formulation of improved N fertilizer recommendations for grassland, experiments were carried out on two soil types and under different management regimes. The effect of fertilizer N application on grassland production and sward quality in perennial ryegrass swards was studied during a number of consecutive years under both rotational grazing and 4-weekly cutting. Experiment 1 was performed with dairy cows on a loam soil at 250 and 550 kg fertilizer N ha-1 year-1. Experiment 2 was performed with beef cattle on a sand soil and fertilizer rates varying from 250 to 700 kg N ha-1 year-1 under grazing and from 0 to 700 kg N ha-1 year-1 under cutting. The results indicate that on loam, N had no effect on sward quality. In the second experimental year, total herbage yield under grazing was almost 10% higher than under cutting at 250 kg N ha-1 year-1 due to recycling of N, whereas at 550 kg N ha-1 year-1 the yield under grazing and cutting was the same. On sand, the economically optimum fertilizer application rate was on average 430 kg N ha-1 year-1 for 4-weekly cutting. Under grazing and at whole system level (integrated grazing and mowing for silage), the optimum rate was below 250 kg N ha-1 year-1. Under grazing on the sand soil, N aggravated sward deterioration due to treading, poaching and especially urine scorching. This was reflected in an increased absence frequency of rooted perennial ryegrass tillers in quadrats with an area of 1 dm2 at increasing fertilizer N application rates. It is concluded that current fertilizer N recommendations for grassland can be further refined by taking into account the positive and negative effects of grazing cattle, in dependence of soil type and level of N supply.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
On loam, nitrogen did not affect sward quality.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrass
Lolium perennet0 - Treatment
- Ne0
- Outcome
- sward qualitye0
- Direction
- no effecte0
- Setting
- loame0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“on loam, N had no effect on sward quality”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
Claim · model-written summary
On loam at 250 kg nitrogen, grazing yielded almost 10% more herbage than cutting in year two.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennet0
- Treatment
- grazinge0
- Outcome
- total herbage yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- almost 10%e0
- Qualifier
- at 250 kg N ha-1 year-1e0
- Comparator
- cuttinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the second experimental year, total herbage yield under grazing was almost 10% higher than under cutting at 250 kg N ha-1 year-1 due to recycling of N”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
Claim · model-written summary
At 550 kg nitrogen, grazing and cutting had equal herbage yield.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennet0
- Treatment
- grazinge0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- the samee0
- Qualifier
- at 550 kg N ha-1 year-1e0
- Comparator
- cuttinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“at 550 kg N ha-1 year-1 the yield under grazing and cutting was the same”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
Claim · model-written summary
On sand, the economic optimum nitrogen rate for four-weekly cutting averaged 430 kg N ha-1 year-1.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennet0
- Outcome
- economically optimum fertilizer application ratee0
- Value
- 430 kg N ha-1 year-1e0
- Qualifier
- 4-weekly cuttinge0
- Setting
- sande0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“On sand, the economically optimum fertilizer application rate was on average 430 kg N ha-1 year-1 for 4-weekly cutting”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
Claim · model-written summary
On sand under grazing, the optimum nitrogen rate was below 250 kg N ha-1 year-1.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennet0
- Outcome
- optimum ratee0
- Value
- below 250 kg N ha-1 year-1e0
- Qualifier
- Under grazinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under grazing and at whole system level (integrated grazing and mowing for silage), the optimum rate was below 250 kg N ha-1 year-1”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
Claim · model-written summary
At whole-system level, the optimum nitrogen rate was below 250 kg N ha-1 year-1.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennet0
- Outcome
- optimum ratee0
- Value
- below 250 kg N ha-1 year-1e0
- Qualifier
- integrated grazing and mowing for silagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under grazing and at whole system level (integrated grazing and mowing for silage), the optimum rate was below 250 kg N ha-1 year-1”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
Claim · model-written summary
Under grazing on sand, nitrogen worsened sward deterioration from treading, poaching and urine scorching.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennet0
- Treatment
- Ne0
- Outcome
- sward deterioratione0
- Direction
- aggravatede0
- Setting
- sand soile0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under grazing on the sand soil, N aggravated sward deterioration due to treading, poaching and especially urine scorching”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
Claim · model-written summary
Rooted perennial ryegrass tillers became increasingly absent as nitrogen application rose.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennee0
- Treatment
- increasing fertilizer N application ratese0
- Outcome
- absence frequency of rooted perennial ryegrass tillerse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased absence frequency of rooted perennial ryegrass tillers in quadrats with an area of 1 dm2 at increasing fertilizer N application rates”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend refining nitrogen guidance by grazing effects, soil type and nitrogen supply.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennet0
- Outcome
- fertilizer N recommendations for grasslande0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“current fertilizer N recommendations for grassland can be further refined by taking into account the positive and negative effects of grazing cattle, in dependence of soil type and level of N supply”
t0“perennial ryegrass”
The same questions in other papers
nitrogen · quality: general · Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- no effect
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →grazing · yield · Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass)Positive and negative results
20 papers in the same direction as this paper · 10 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- no effect
- negative
28 papers more in this group
See all 32 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.