Productivity and Nutritive Quality of Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) as Influenced by Commercial Fertilizer, Broiler Litter, and Interseeded White Clover (Trifolium repens)
In the southeastern USA, there is an abundance of broiler litter from commercial poultry production that is available for use as fertilizer, but cropland and pastureland amended with broiler litter often exhibit greatly increased soil-test P. We evaluated productivity and nutritive quality of Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) that was interseeded with or without white clover (Trifolium repens) and which commercial fertilizer (ammonium nitrate and diammonium phosphate) or broiler litter was applied on the basis of soil-test P; broiler litter was supplemented with ammonium nitrate to be isonitrogenous with commercial fertilizer. Forage dry matter yield and foliar concentrations of crude protein, cell wall constituents, P, K, and Cu were not different among fertilizer treatments, and concentration of Zn was only slightly greater for forage amended with broiler litter than commercial fertilizer. Results indicate that broiler litter can be a cost-effective alternative to commercial fertilizer for warm-season forage production when applied on the basis of soil-test P. 1. Introduction Poultry production is a major agricultural industry in the southeastern USA, and significant quantities of broiler litter are generated and available for use as fertilizer for pasture and row crops. Within the state of Alabama alone, approximately 1.36 million metric tons of broiler litter are produced annually [1], over 90% of which is disposed through application to cropland and pastureland [2]. In areas of concentrated poultry production, soils often become concentrated with nutrients as a result of repeated land application of broiler litter over extended periods of time [3]. Studies have shown that repeated land application of animal manures to agricultural fields can potentially cause environmental problems [4]. Phosphorus runoff and resulting eutrophication is one of the most common environmental problems associated with use of organic fertilizers [2, 5]. High-producing warm-season forages have significant capacity for assimilating nutrients from land-applied broiler litter [6, 7]. In the southeastern USA, application of broiler litter to Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) pasture has been used successfully for producing high biomass yields, and, in doing so, reducing adverse effects of broiler litter application on soil quality [8]. Studies have shown that Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) can produce as much or more biomass than common Bermudagrass, making it an attractive candidate for nutrient management. Broiler litter is commonly land-applied on the basis of crop
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