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Response of Three Cool-Season Grass Species to Nitrogen Rate and Harvest Interval in North Central Mississippi

Nitrogen (N) use continues to be an important aspect of forage production. Experimentation was conducted to understand the combined effects of N application and harvest regime on three cool-season grasses: orchardgrass, southeastern wildrye, and tall fescue. Tests were established at Starkville and Brooksville, MS, in fall 2013 and 2014, respectively. Plots were fertilized with 0, 134, 202, or 269 kg N ha-1 yr-1 and harvested one, two, three, or four times during the 112-day season. Variables measured included: cumulative dry matter yield, relative forage quality, crude protein percentage, normalized difference vegetation index, nitrogen use efficiency, and persistence. Persistence was only recorded for southeastern wildrye. Species, N application, and harvests were significant in combination with one another (either two or all three) for all variables except persistence. Only harvest frequency was significant for persistence. Further research should be conducted to evaluate cutting height when incorporating N and multiple harvest events.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-4805
Date07 May 2016
CreatorsRichwine, Jonathan Daniel
PublisherScholars Junction
Source SetsMississippi State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations

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