The influence of fertiliser nitrogen on soil nitrogen and on the herbage of a grazed kikuyu pasture in Natal.

Abstract

The work reported in this thesis was designed to develop a better

understanding of the fate of fertiliser nitrogen applied to a

tropical pasture under field conditions, with the eventual

objective of improving the economy of livestock production off

such pastures. This involved an examination of the

concentrations of soil total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen and

nitrate nitrogen at different depths within the soil profile

following the application of different levels of fertiliser

nitrogen to a grazed kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) pasture,

as well as the influence of such applications on pasture yield

and some elements of pasture quality. The trial was conducted

over a two year period at Broadacres in the Natal Mistbelt.

A labelled [15]NH[4]N0[3] fertiliser experiment was also conducted

to ascertain how the labelled ammonium ion moved through the

soil, roots and herbage after being applied in spring onto a

kikuyu pasture.

In the absence of fertiliser N, a total of 15.45 t/ha of

soil N was recorded at an average concentration of 0.15%. More

than 30% of the soil total N was, however, situated within the

top 10cm of soil. organic matter (OM) content in the top 0-10cm

of the profile was high (4.75%), reflecting an accumulation of

organic matter in this zone. However, as organic C (and thus c: N

ratios) declined with depth, so too did soil total N

concentration.

Not surprisingly, fertiliser

measurably increase soil total N,

N applications did not

but indirectly may have affected soil N dynamics by increasing net mineralisation (due

to its "priming" effect) thereby stimulating plant growth and

thus increasing the size of the organic N pool through greater

plant decay.

Total soil N concentration did not change significantly from

the first to the second season. This could be attributed to the

fact that N gains and losses on the pastures, being over 15 years

old, were probably in equilibrium. Generally similar trends in

soil total N down the profile over both seasons was further

confirmation of this.

Before the application of any fertiliser, 331.9 kg NH[4]-N was

measured in the soil to a depth of 1m, on average, over both

seasons. This amount represented only 2.1% of the soil total N

in the profile. The concentration of NH[4]-N followed a quadratic

trend down the soil profile, irrespective of the amount of

fertiliser N applied, with the largest concentrations

accumulating, on average, in the 0-10cm and 75-100cm depth

classes and lowest concentrations in the 50-75cm depth class.

Laboratory wetting/drying experiments on soil samples collected

from a depth of 75-100cm showed that NH[4]-N concentrations

declined only marginally from their original concentrations. A

high organic C content of 1.44% at this depth was also probable

evidence of nitrification inhibition. Analysis of a similar

Inanda soil form under a maize crop did not exhibit the

properties eluded to above, suggesting that annual turn-over of

the soil was causing mineralisation-immobilisation reactions to

proceed normally.

Addition of fertiliser N to the pasture significantly increased the amount of NH[4]-N over that of the control camps.

Furthermore, the higher the application rate, the greater the

increase in NH[4]-N accumulation within the soil profile. As N

application rates increased, so the NH[4]-N:N0[3]-N ratio narrowed in

the soil complex. This was probably due to NH[4]-N being applied

ln excess of plant requirements at the high N application rates.

On average, 66.7 kg more NH[4]-N was present in the soil in

the first season than in the second after fertilisation.

Although this amount did not differ significantly from spring

through to autumn, during early spring and late summer/autumn

concentrations were higher than in mid-summer. Observed soil

NH4-N trends were also very similar to the soil total N trends

within both seasons, suggesting that soil total N concentrations

might well play an important role in determining soil NH4-N

concentrations.

Before fertilisation, only 45.6 kg N0[3]-N, representing 0.29%

of the soil total N, was on average, found in the profile to a

depth of 1m. The highest concentration of N0[3]-N was lodged in

the top 10cm of the soil. Nitrate-N declined, on average, with

depth down the profile. However, during the second season, even

though the concentration of N03-N declined down the profile, it

increased with depth during relative to that of the first season,

suggesting the movement of N0[3]-N down the profile during this

period.

Fertilisation significantly increased the concentration of

N0[3]-N above that of the control camps. Concentrations increased

as fertiliser application rates increased, as did N0[3]-N

concentrations with depth. This has important implications regarding potential leaching of N03-N into the groundwater,

suggesting that once applications reach levels of 300 kg

N/ha/season or more, applications should become smaller and more

frequent over the season in order to remove this pollution

potential.

On average, 94.3 kg N0[3]-N/ha was present down to a depth of

1m over both seasons. However, significantly more N0[3]-N was

present in the second season than in the first. This result is

in contrast to that of the NH[4]-N, wherein lower concentrations

were found in the second season than in the first.

No specific trends in N0[3]-N concentration were observed

within each season. Rather, N0[3]-N concentrations tended to vary

inconsistently at each sampling period. Nitrate N and ammonium

N concentrations within each month followed a near mirror image.

A DM yield of 12.7 t/ha, averaged over all treatments, was

measured over the two seasons. A progressive increase in DM

yield was obtained with successive increments of N fertiliser.

The response of the kikuyu to the N applied did, however, decline

as N applications increased.

A higher yield of 1.8 t DM/ha in the first season over that

of the second was difficult to explain since rainfall amount and

distribution was similar over both seasons.

On average, 2.84% protein N was measured in the herbage over

both seasons. In general, protein N concentrations increased as

N application rates increased.

On average, higher concentrations of protein-N were measured

within the upper (>5cm) than in the lower <5cm) herbage stratum,

irrespective of the amount of N applied. Similar bi-modal trends over time in protein-N concentration

were measured for all N treatments and within both herbage strata

over both seasons, with concentrations tending to be highest

during early summer (Dec), and in early autumn (Feb), and lowest

during spring (Oct), mid-summer (Jan) and autumn (March). spring

and autumn peaks seemed to correspond with periods of slower

growth, whilst low mid-summer concentrations coincided with

periods of high DM yields and TNC concentrations.

The range of N0[3]-N observed in the DM on the Broadacres

trial was 0.12% to 0.43%. As applications of fertiliser N to the

pasture increased, N0[3]-N concentrations within the herbage

increased in a near-linear fashion.

On average, higher concentrations of N0[3]-N, irrespective of

the amount of fertiliser N applied, were measured wi thin the

upper (>5cm) than the lower <5cm) herbage stratum.

A similar bi-modal trend to that measured with protein-N

concentrations was observed in both seasons for N0[3]-N in the

herbage. High concentrations of N0[3]-N were measured during

spring (Nov) and autumn (Feb), and lower concentrations in midsummer

(Dec & Jan), very early spring (Oct) and early autumn

(March). During summer, declining N0[3]-N concentrations were

associated with a corresponding increase in herbage DM yields.

A lack of any distinctive trend emerged on these trials in

the response of TNC to increased fertilisation with N suggests

that, in kikuyu, applied N alone would not materially alter TNC

concentrations.

Higher concentrations of TNC were determined in the lower

<5cm) height stratum, on average, than in the corresponding upper (>5cm) stratum. This may be ascribed to the fact that TNCs

tend to be found in higher concentrations where plant protein-N

and N0[3]-N concentrations are low.

A P concentration of 0.248% before N fertilisation, is such

that it should preclude any necessity for P supplementation, at

least to beef animals. Herbage P concentrations did, however,

drop as N fertiliser application rates were increased on the

pasture, but were still high enough to preclude supplementation.

Even though no significant difference in P concentration was

measured between the two herbage strata, a higher P content

prevailed within the lower <5cm) herbage stratum.

On average, 2.96% K was present within the herbage material

in this trial. The norm for pastures ranges between 0.7 and

4.0%.

On these trials, applications of fertiliser N to the camps

did not significantly affect K concentrations within the herbage.

The lower <5cm) herbage stratum, comprising most of the

older herbage fraction, was found to contain the highest K

concentration in the pasture.

The presence of significantly (although probably

biologically non-significantly) less K within the herbage in the

second season than in the first may be linked to depletion of

reserves of · this element in the soil by the plant and/ or

elemental interactions between K and other macro-nutrients.

An average Ca content of 0.35% within the herbage falls

within the range of 0.14 to 1.5% specified by the NRC (1976) as

being adequate for all except high-producing dairy animals.

Increasing N application rates to the pasture increased the Ca content within the herbage .

No significant differences in Ca concentration were found

between the upper (>5cm) and lower <5cm) herbage strata over

both seasons, even though the lower stratum had a slightly higher

Ca concentration, on average, than the upper stratum.

Calcium concentrations did not vary between seasons,

probably because concentrations tend rather to vary according to

stage of plant maturity, season or soil condition. However,

higher concentrations of the element were measured in the second

season than in the first. The reason for this is unknown.

On average, 0.377% Mg was present within the herbage over

both seasons. This compares favourably with published data

wherein Mg concentrations varied from 0 . 04 to 0.9% in the DM,

with a mean of 0.36%.

All camps with N applied to them contained significantly

more Mg in their herbage than did the material of the control

camps.

On these trials, the Ca :Mg ratio is 0.92: 1, which 1S

considered to be near the optimum for livestock and thus the

potential for tetany to arise is minimal.

Magnesium concentrations remained essentially similar within

both herbage strata, regardless of the rate of fertiliser N

applied.

As in the case of Ca, Mg concentrations within the herbage

were significantly higher in the second season than in the first.

Calcium:phosphate ratios increased, on average in the

herbage, as N application rates increased. This ratio was high

in spring, dropped off in summer and increased again into autumn, suggesting that the two ions were following the growth pattern

of the kikuyu over the season.

The K/Mg+Ca ratios were nearly double that of the norm,

suggesting that the pasture was experiencing luxury K uptake

which may be conducive to tetany in animals grazing the pasture.

This ratio narrowed as N application rates were increased,

probably as a result of ion dilution as the herbage yields

increased in response to these N applications. The ratio was low

in spring (October), but increased to a peak in December, before

declining again to a low in March.