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The efficiency of nitrogen in cattle manures when applied to a double‐annual forage cropping system
Author(s) -
Perramon B.,
BoschSerra À. D.,
DomingoOlivé F.,
Boixadera J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/gfs.12269
Subject(s) - agronomy , manure , dry matter , human fertilization , leaching (pedology) , fertilizer , forage , environmental science , nitrogen , triticale , mathematics , zoology , biology , chemistry , soil water , soil science , organic chemistry
The use of cattle manure ( CM ) for fertilization presents challenges for optimizing nitrogen (N) use. Our work aimed to assess N efficiencies, in a 6‐year experiment with three biennial rotations of four crops: oat–sorghum (first year) and ryegrass–maize (second year) in a rainfed humid Mediterranean area of Spain. Fertilization treatments included the following: control (no N), 250 kg mineral N ha −1 year −1 (250 MN ), three CM rates (supplying 170, 250 and 500 kg N ha −1 year −1 ) and four treatments where the two lowest CM rates were complemented with either 80 or 160 kg mineral N ha −1 year −1 . Treatments were distributed randomly in each of three blocks. Maximum dry‐matter yield (~44–49 t ha −1 rotation −1 ) was achieved in the third rotation, and only the control and the 170 CM yielded significantly less. Within the limitations of the EU Nitrate Directive, the N steady state supply of 170 CM always requires a complement of mineral N (80 kg N ha −1 ) to maximize N agronomic efficiency. The maximum N‐fertilizer replacement value (250 CM vs. 250 MN ) was 0·67, without significant differences between the two treatments in other N‐related efficiency indexes, which indicates that plants took advantage of residual‐N effects. Nitrogen losses by leaching in the 250 CM treatment were around 5–7% of the N applied. This reinforces the sustainability of manure recycling in long cropping seasons.