Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades

To maintain species‐rich swards from which forage of a high nutritional quality can be produced, it is essential to adapt grassland fertilization strategies. In this study, we investigated how different long‐term mineral fertilization treatments affect dry‐matter (DM) yield, plant species compositio...

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Autores principales: Ineichen, Simon, Marquardt, Svenja, Kreuzer, Michael, Reidy, Beat
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/125196
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author Ineichen, Simon
Marquardt, Svenja
Kreuzer, Michael
Reidy, Beat
author_browse Ineichen, Simon
Kreuzer, Michael
Marquardt, Svenja
Reidy, Beat
author_facet Ineichen, Simon
Marquardt, Svenja
Kreuzer, Michael
Reidy, Beat
author_sort Ineichen, Simon
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description To maintain species‐rich swards from which forage of a high nutritional quality can be produced, it is essential to adapt grassland fertilization strategies. In this study, we investigated how different long‐term mineral fertilization treatments affect dry‐matter (DM) yield, plant species composition, and nutrient and mineral concentrations of forage from mountain grasslands. During 2 years, forage was sampled from three different long‐term fertilization experiments located at 930 (L), 1,190 (M) and 1,340 (H) m a.s.l. at different sites in Switzerland. At each site, three mineral fertilization treatments (0, PK and NPK) had been maintained for three to six decades, with two (L and M) or three harvests (H) per year. Yield, the botanical composition and concentrations of net energy, utilizable crude protein and different phenolic fractions were determined. Nutrient and mineral concentrations were also determined. For all three sites (L, M and H), unfertilized swards had lower annual DM yields (3.39, 5.17 and 2.73 t/ha) compared to PK (6.33, 7.17 and 4.44 t/ha) and NPK fertilized swards (7.69, 7.22 and 7.44 t/ha), respectively. Long‐term fertilization had little effect on the gross nutrient and phenolic composition, but forage P and K concentration increased. The decades‐long fertilization of either PK or NPK of up to 85 kg N, 80 kg P2O5 and 240 kg K2O/ha reduced plant species richness only at site H. Fertilization of PK may allow to simultaneously increase forage productivity and maintain forage quality in mountain grasslands.
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spelling CGSpace1251962025-08-15T13:22:00Z Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades Ineichen, Simon Marquardt, Svenja Kreuzer, Michael Reidy, Beat forage grasslands nutrients feeds To maintain species‐rich swards from which forage of a high nutritional quality can be produced, it is essential to adapt grassland fertilization strategies. In this study, we investigated how different long‐term mineral fertilization treatments affect dry‐matter (DM) yield, plant species composition, and nutrient and mineral concentrations of forage from mountain grasslands. During 2 years, forage was sampled from three different long‐term fertilization experiments located at 930 (L), 1,190 (M) and 1,340 (H) m a.s.l. at different sites in Switzerland. At each site, three mineral fertilization treatments (0, PK and NPK) had been maintained for three to six decades, with two (L and M) or three harvests (H) per year. Yield, the botanical composition and concentrations of net energy, utilizable crude protein and different phenolic fractions were determined. Nutrient and mineral concentrations were also determined. For all three sites (L, M and H), unfertilized swards had lower annual DM yields (3.39, 5.17 and 2.73 t/ha) compared to PK (6.33, 7.17 and 4.44 t/ha) and NPK fertilized swards (7.69, 7.22 and 7.44 t/ha), respectively. Long‐term fertilization had little effect on the gross nutrient and phenolic composition, but forage P and K concentration increased. The decades‐long fertilization of either PK or NPK of up to 85 kg N, 80 kg P2O5 and 240 kg K2O/ha reduced plant species richness only at site H. Fertilization of PK may allow to simultaneously increase forage productivity and maintain forage quality in mountain grasslands. 2020-12 2022-10-27T12:36:27Z 2022-10-27T12:36:27Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/125196 en Limited Access Wiley Ineichen, S., Marquardt, S., Kreuzer, M. and Reidy, B. 2020. Forage quality of species‐rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades. Grass and Forage Science
spellingShingle forage
grasslands
nutrients
feeds
Ineichen, Simon
Marquardt, Svenja
Kreuzer, Michael
Reidy, Beat
Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades
title Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades
title_full Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades
title_fullStr Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades
title_full_unstemmed Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades
title_short Forage quality of species-rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero, PK and NPK mineral fertilization for decades
title_sort forage quality of species rich mountain grasslands subjected to zero pk and npk mineral fertilization for decades
topic forage
grasslands
nutrients
feeds
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/125196
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