Abstract
ABSTRACT Tall fescue (TF, Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.) pasture productivity declines substantially during summer months due to elevated temperatures and reduced precipitation, presenting significant challenges to forage‐based livestock systems. This study evaluated whether strategically timed nitrogen (TF+N, (TF, Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh cv. BarOptima Plus E34) application or intercropping with the warm‐season legume sunn hemp (SH, Crotalaria juncea (Linnaeus.); TF+SH) could enhance summer herbage accumulation, nutritive value, and cattle performance in TF pastures. Ground‐based ultrasonic canopy sensors and satellite‐derived vegetation indices (PlanetScope imagery) were integrated with machine learning models to predict biomass dynamics throughout the grazing season. Tall fescue fertilised with nitrogen significantly improved crude protein (CP) concentrations (12%–13% TF−N vs. 16%–17% TF+N; p < 0.001) and increased total seasonal forage yields, raising carrying capacity by approximately 29% ( p = 0.0038) and body weight gain by 36% ( p = 0.0128) compared to unfertilised controls. Sunn hemp improved late‐summer forage quality with the greatest in vitro true digestibility during August and September ( p < 0.0001) but did not increase cattle gains due to its short grazing window. Overall, strategic nitrogen application remains the most effective practice for sustaining TF productivity in stocker systems. However, sunn hemp intercropping provides a partial substitute to synthetic nitrogen inputs that may fit specific animal marketing strategies.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization increased crude protein from 12%–13% to 16%–17%.
- Taxon
- Tall fescue
Lolium arundinaceume0 - Treatment
- nitrogene0
- Outcome
- crude protein (CP) concentrationse0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 16%–17%e0
- Qualifier
- 12%–13%e0
- Comparator
- TF−Ne0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tall fescue fertilised with nitrogen significantly improved crude protein (CP) concentrations (12%–13% TF−N vs. 16%–17% TF+N; p < 0.001)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization increased total seasonal forage yields.
- Taxon
- Tall fescueLolium arundinaceume0
- Treatment
- nitrogene0
- Outcome
- total seasonal forage yieldse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- TF−Ne0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tall fescue fertilised with nitrogen significantly improved crude protein (CP) concentrations (12%–13% TF−N vs. 16%–17% TF+N; p < 0.001) and increased total seasonal forage yields”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization raised pasture carrying capacity by approximately 29%.
- Taxon
- Tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- nitrogene0
- Outcome
- carrying capacitye0
- Direction
- raisinge0
- Value
- approximately 29%e0
- Comparator
- unfertilised controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tall fescue fertilised with nitrogen significantly improved crude protein (CP) concentrations (12%–13% TF−N vs. 16%–17% TF+N; p < 0.001) and increased total seasonal forage yields, raising carrying capacity by approximately 29% ( p = 0.0038) and body weight gain by 36% ( p = 0.0128) compared to unfertilised controls”
t0“Tall fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization raised cattle body weight gain by 36%.
- Taxon
- Tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- nitrogene0
- Outcome
- body weight gaine0
- Direction
- raisinge0
- Value
- 36%e0
- Comparator
- unfertilised controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tall fescue fertilised with nitrogen significantly improved crude protein (CP) concentrations (12%–13% TF−N vs. 16%–17% TF+N; p < 0.001) and increased total seasonal forage yields, raising carrying capacity by approximately 29% ( p = 0.0038) and body weight gain by 36% ( p = 0.0128) compared to unfertilised controls”
t0“Tall fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Sunn hemp improved late-summer forage digestibility in August and September.
- Taxon
- Tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- Sunn hempe0
- Outcome
- in vitro true digestibilitye0
- Direction
- greateste0
- Qualifier
- during August and Septembere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sunn hemp improved late‐summer forage quality with the greatest in vitro true digestibility during August and September ( p < 0.0001)”
t0“Tall fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Sunn hemp did not increase cattle gains.
- Taxon
- Tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- Sunn hempe0
- Outcome
- cattle gainse0
- Direction
- did not increasee0
- Qualifier
- short grazing windowe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sunn hemp improved late‐summer forage quality with the greatest in vitro true digestibility during August and September ( p < 0.0001) but did not increase cattle gains due to its short grazing window”
t0“Tall fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend strategic nitrogen application for sustaining tall fescue productivity.
- Taxon
- Tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- strategic nitrogen application remains the most effective practice for sustaining TF productivity in stocker systemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“strategic nitrogen application remains the most effective practice for sustaining TF productivity in stocker systems”
t0“Tall fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Sunn hemp intercropping was proposed as a partial substitute for synthetic nitrogen.
- Taxon
- Tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- sunn hemp intercropping provides a partial substitute to synthetic nitrogen inputse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“sunn hemp intercropping provides a partial substitute to synthetic nitrogen inputs that may fit specific animal marketing strategies”
t0“Tall fescue”
The same questions in other papers
nitrogen · yield · Lolium arundinaceum (tall fescue)Positive and negative results
25 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
27 papers more in this group
See all 31 papers →nitrogen · quality: protein · Lolium arundinaceum (tall fescue)Results agree
3 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
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.