Soil Fertility Considerations Part of the Ruminant Livestock: Facing New Economic Realities...
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Soil Fertility Considerations
Part of the Ruminant Livestock: Facing New Economic Realities Meetings
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Fertilizer Prices
• Late January 2008: Nitrogen = $0.65/lb, P2O5 = $0.65/lb, K2O = $.0.41/lb
• Future Projection: Increasing costs!
• Management Options?• Continue as before
• Quit using synthetic fertilizer
• Use strategically
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pH Effect on Element Availability
• When talking about fertilizers and fertility, begin by looking at soil pH.
• Soil pH has an effect on fixation and release mechanisms in soil
• Lime may be the cheapest “fertilizer”
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Soil pH: Legume species
Species Tolerance to
pH < 6.0
pH Goal
Alfalfa Low > 6.5
Alsike Clover High > 5.5
BFT High > 5.5
Red Clover Medium 6.0-6.5
White Clover Medium 6.0-6.5
Kura Clover Medium 6.0-6.5
Source: Ohio Agronomy Guide, bulletin 472
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Soil pH: Grasses
Species Tolerance to
pH < 6.0
pH Goal
Kentucky BG Medium 6.0 – 6.5
Orchardgrass Medium 6.0 – 6.5
Tall Fescue High > 6.0
Perennial RG Medium 6.0 – 6.5
Timothy Medium 6.0 – 6.5
Brome Medium 6.0 – 6.5
Source: Ohio Agronomy Guide, bulletin 472
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Soil pH and Lime Application• Apply lime when soil pH is below optimum• It is the buffer pH number that determines the
lime application required to get the desired response
• Agronomy Guide recommendations are based on tons/acre of ag lime with an ENP of 2000 lbs/ton
• Lime is not very soluble, surface applications neutralize acidity slowly (may move downward approximately 1 inch/year)
• Implications for nitrogen fertilization (can increase losses)
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Nitrogen Fertility
• Rate of nitrogen application is directly related to yield potential
• Nitrogen sources include synthetic fertilizer, livestock manure, compost, and organic matter release in the soil
• Cool season grass response is greatest in spring and in fall
• Pasture and hay fields with > 25% evenly distributed legumes do not need nitrogen application
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Phosphorus (P)
• Needed at critical soil test level to ensure maximum forage production
• Rate recommended is not directly related to yield potential
• For every 7.5 – 10 lbs/acre of P2O5 added or removed from the soil, soil test P will change by 1ppm
Source: Robert Mullen, 3-6-07 presentation to Athens Grazing Council
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Potassium (K)
• Poor potassium nutrition can result in poor forage production
• Application not related to yield potential
• For every 2 –6 lbs/acre of K2O added or removed, soil test K will change by 1 ppm
• High levels of soil K can be a problem:• Luxury consumption and high forage concentrations
• Can suppress magnesium uptake
Source: Robert Mullen, 3-6-07 presentation to Athens Grazing Council
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Critical Soil Nutrient Levels for Forages: P and K
K at CEC:
Crop P 5 10 20
ppm (lbs/acre)
-------- ppm (lbs/acre)
---------
Legumes 25 (50) 88 (175)
100
(200)
125 (250)
Grasses 15 (30) 88 (175)
100
(200)
125 (250)
P critical levels based on crop, K critical levels based on CECSource: Robert Mullen, 3-6-07 presentation to Athens Grazing Council
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Role of Soil Organic Matter• O.M. increases the water holding and nutrient
storage capacity of the soil• Critical to soil organisms that play a role in nutrient
release, decomposition, and breakdown of chemicals
• Release nutrients and increase nutrient availability to plants
• Buffers the soil system: in high organic matter soils macro nutrients are more available compared to low pH soils (What is a “high” OM soil?)
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Pastures: Nutrient Cycling
• Removal rates for pasture are lower than for hay crop, but…
• Grazing livestock move nutrients and concentrate nutrients into patches
• Nutrients are lost from pastures as animal product, through volatilization, leaching, erosion, but…
• Purchased feeds and stored feeds fed to livestock on pasture can add nutrients
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Pastures: Nitrogen Cycling
• 70% of nitrogen returned to pastures is in the form of urine
• The nitrogen application rate can be the equivalent of 1000 lbs/acre in a urine patch
• Leaching losses can approach 50% and 22% of nitrogen is lost to volatilization
• Negligible N-fixation under a urine patch
Source: Dave Barker, 2-9-07 OFGC conference presentation
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Pasture Nutrient Cycling: Feces/Dung
• Phosphorus applications can amount to 220 lbs/acre in dung patches
• Soil K in camp areas are commonly 4 to 10 fold higher than the overall pasture average
• The nitrogen in dung can approximate urine N levels but is in an organic form and is more stable: volatilization losses about 5% and leaching losses about 4%
Source: Dave Barker, 2-9-07 presentation to OFGC conference
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Nutrient (manure) Management in Pastures
• Higher stock density = better distribution
• Shorter occupation periods = better distribution
• Shade, water and minerals can concentrate manure
• Use water and minerals to spread distribution
• More intensive management can reduce fertilizer costs