Native Warm-Season Grass Response to Nitrogen Fertilization

Abstract

The identification of appropriate nitrogen (N) rates for native warm-season grasses (NWSG) is needed to inform forage management in the southeastern United States. Experiments were conducted in Knoxville and Springfield, TN, from 2015 to 2019, to evaluate dry matter (DM) yield, forage nutritive value (FNV), the influence of temperature and precipitation on yield, and partial factor productivity (PFP) responses. Three NWSG species (big bluestem [BB; Andropogon gerardii Vitman], switchgrass [SG; Panicum virgatum L.], and eastern gamagrass [EG; Tripsacum dactyloides L.]) were grown at each location and harvested twice annually. Five N rates in the form of urea were applied annually in split applications. The yields for all species responded positively to nitrogen (p < 0.001) and the time of harvest (p < 0.001) at both sites, except for BB yield at Springfield; no consistent N effects were observed over years. Nitrogen affected the FNV (p < 0.001) of all species, increasing CP by three to five percentage points (p < 0.001). Yields across all species and locations responded positively to precipitation (p < 0.001) and temperature (p < 0.001). A moderate N amendment (<135 kg N ha−1 yr−1, based on PFP) can enhance the productivity of NWSG, but responses were site-dependent and influenced by temperature and precipitation.