ARS | Publication request: Forage cutting height and interval: Relationship to phosphorus uptake by bermudagrass fertilized with boiler litter

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 4, 2007
Publication Date: November 8, 2007
Citation: Read, J.J., Rowe, D.E., Lang, D.J. 2007. Forage cutting height and interval: Relationship to phosphorus uptake by bermudagrass fertilized with boiler litter [abstract]. Agronomy Abstracts. Paper 271-5, CD-ROM.

Technical Abstract: Broiler litter applied to meet bermudagrass N requirement contains more P than required for optimum forage production. Maximizing P uptake would facilitate greater P removal from hay fields fertilized with litter and decrease the potential for P transport by runoff or leaching that may cause eutrophication. This study determined if stage of growth and the distribution of forage yield affect P uptake in ‘Tifton 44’ bermudagrass. Broiler litter was applied at 4.5 Mg/ha in March and May, and supplemented with 67 kg/ha fertilizer N in late May. Averaged across 2004 and 2005, forage biomass increased significantly as harvest interval increased from 35 to 49 d. In the 49-d treatment, decreasing the cutting height from 9 to 3 cm increased forage yield by about 2.7 Mg/ha. A much smaller increase of about 1.5 Mg/ha due to decreased cutting height was evident in plants harvested at 21 and 35 day intervals. Trends in P uptake closely followed those observed for biomass yield. Results provide information to forage producers on straight forward methods to enhance the recovery of nutrients by hybrid bermudagrass when broiler litter is applied routinely to hay fields.