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Studies on the Effect of Urea Application on Nitrate Toxicity in Forages
Author(s) -
Chaudhary Dharam Paul,
Tiwana Udham Singh,
Bhardwaj Behari Lal,
Puri Krishan Pal,
Muker Harvinder Singh
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.536.2
Subject(s) - trifolium alexandrinum , nitrate , lolium perenne , urea , hordeum vulgare , agronomy , forage , avena , brassica , chemistry , poaceae , biology , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Objective Under certain adverse conditions nitrate can accumulate to potentially toxic concentrations in forages like oats ( Avena sativa ), barley ( Hordeum vulgare ), maize ( Zea mays ), sarson ( Brassica juncea ) and berseem ( Trifolium alexandrinum ). The conditions under which plants accumulate excessive amounts of nitrates are not fully understood. We hypothesized that excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers may be responsible for accumulation of nitrate in plants and decided to determine the effect of excess urea application on nitrate accumulation in berseem, berseem+ rye grass ( Lolium perenne ) (B+RG), breseem + sarson (B+S) and berseem + oats (B+O). Methods The crop was sown on the experimental area in the plot sizes of 5X4 m 2 in three replications. The crop was sprayed with 5 different concentrations of urea ranging from 1 to 5% and subsequently analyzed for nitrate content. Results The results indicate that the crude protein and nitrate content of berseem, B+RG, B+S and B+O increases with increasing concentrations of urea. The maximum nitrate concentration in B+S was observed at 4% of urea concentration while in B+RG and B+O at 5% of urea. Conclusion The excessive nitrogen application appears to be responsible for the nitrate accumulation in the forage crops which may lead to large scale livestock losses.