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Excessive Nitrogen Fertilization Is a Limitation to Herbage Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Dairy Pastures in South Africa

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  • Motsedisi P. Phohlo

    (Department of Agronomy, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
    Agricultural Sustainability, Trace & Save (PTY) Ltd., Jeffreys Bay 6330, South Africa)

  • Pieter A. Swanepoel

    (Department of Agronomy, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa)

  • Stefan Hinck

    (FARMsystem Hinck, Nelson-Mandela Strasse 1, 49076 Osnabrueck, Germany)

Abstract

The response of crop yields to fertilizers is a long-standing topic of agricultural production. Currently, in dairy-pasture systems, nitrogen (N) fertilizer is used as a management tool that is said to be directly proportional to pasture yield. We evaluated a large dataset consisting of data from 153 fields over five years to examine the effects of N fertilization on pasture yield and nitrogen use efficiency in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Fertilizer application rates were grouped into three treatments viz., <200, 200–350, and >350 kg N ha −1 , and herbage yield response over the years was analyzed with mixed models. There were no differences found between treatments for total annual herbage yield over the years. High N fertilizer rates did not translate to a higher herbage yield of pastures. The N rate had a weak but significant negative correlation with the total annual yield and only accounted for 6% of the yield variation. The N use efficiency of pastures improved with reduced N application rates. Pasture yield varies through different seasons. Spring and summer account for the highest yield, coinciding with warm and moist conditions favorable for N mineralization in the soil. Farmers need to consider the time of the year and plan their monthly or seasonal fertilizer application accordingly to account for peak N mineralization rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Motsedisi P. Phohlo & Pieter A. Swanepoel & Stefan Hinck, 2022. "Excessive Nitrogen Fertilization Is a Limitation to Herbage Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Dairy Pastures in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-11, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4322-:d:787552
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Charné Viljoen & Janke van der Colf & Pieter Andreas Swanepoel, 2020. "Benefits Are Limited with High Nitrogen Fertiliser Rates in Kikuyu-Ryegrass Pasture Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-20, May.
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