Response to different nitrogen application patterns on grassland in a two-cut system

Abstract

This study aimed to determine how nitrogen (N) application patterns affect yield, forage quality and crop N removal in a two-cut system in grassland. Four patterns of N application in spring and after the first cut (40-60, 50-50, 60-40 and 70-30%, respectively) were examined at two N rates (120 and 240 kg N ha -1 ) at 16 sites in Norway. In general, application pattern had only a minor effect on dry matter yield, although at the highest N rate the 50-50 and 60-40 patterns gave slightly higher yield than the other alternatives. The crop N removal indicated a poor utilization of N at high application rates. It is concluded that grassland is flexible to the N application pattern in a two-cut system, and that the spring application rate should not be too low in order to ensure both high yield in the first cut and sufficient plant N reserves for rapid regrowth. © 2002 Taylor & Francis.