xt71ns0ktt9q https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt71ns0ktt9q/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 1958 journals 065 English Lexington : Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Kentucky Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Progress report (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n.65 text Progress report (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n.65 1958 2014 true xt71ns0ktt9q section xt71ns0ktt9q Progress Report 65 AP"' '958
Fertilizer Experiments With
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l-leavy nitrogen fertilization resulted in loss of
clover inthe plot on the right (Simpson County, l958)_
(Filing Code I-l)
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
LEXINGTON

 FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS WITH PASTURE AND ALFALFA
(PROGRESS REPORT)
By E, C., Doll and A. L. Hatfield
A number of fertilizer experiments with alfalfa and pasture have been conducted
from 1950 to 1957 at various locations throughout the state. A summary and brief
discussion of the results are given in this report as an additional aid to county agents
and other agricultural workers in making fertilizer recommendations. The data
given here are intended only to supplement the general recommendations given in
Misc. Pub., 10 and the soil test recommendations given in Misc. Pub. 13, and are
not intended to supersede either of these publications.
Pasture Experiments
Greenville Soil Experiment Field; An experiment to determine the effects of -
nitrogen and potassium on the yield of a pasture composed of orchardgrass. tal]
fescue. and Ladino clover was started in 1954 and concluded in 1957. The soil was
Tilsit silt loam, which is fairly representative of the upland soils in the Western
Coalfield and the sandstone area on its borders, It is very low in phosphorus, and
potassium usually becomes limiting after the soil is cropped for a short time, Th we
` tons of limestone were applied prior to seeding. All fertilizers applied prior to
seeding were broadcast and disked into the surface soil. Relatively heavy initial
applications of potassium were compared with lighter, annual topdressings. The
rates of potassium and yields obtained from 1954 to 1957 are given in Table l No ·
nitrogen was applied to any treatments, and 2.00 pounds of PAO;) per acre were applied
annually to all treatments.
Table 1 -·— Effect of Potassium on Pasture Yields at Greenville I
Lb K?P.I.’.‘1‘1££‘1.--_.
Rate of Total Yield (Cwt / A)
_A_p_plication Applied 1954 1955 1956 1957 _..;E9l.Jd-~.--.---
0 - 12. 7 27. 2 28. 6 44.0 1.1.;.. 5
s
Annual:
50 200 19.6 39.5 42.6 61.2 16%.0
100 400 24.8 50.0 53. 2 63.6 191. 6
200 800 26.1 50.0 54.9 75.0 205 9
lni ti al
V 200 200 25.0 45.3 45.9 55.3 171.4.
400 400 27.,1 51.4 48.3 54.5 181..2 _________
L..S.D, (0. 05) 5.5 12.,8 10.5 10.2 19 2
The results of the annual topdressing with potassium show a signifirant :·esponse·
for the first 50 pounds of KZO. but no significant increase for 100 pounds as compawd
with 50 pounds. The total yields for the four years, however, show a signifu ant in
c rease in yield for the l00—pound rate.

 ..3.- A
The total yields obtained for the initial applications did not differ from those
obtained when equal amounts of potash were applied in four annual applications,
However, when 400 pounds of KZ0 was applied initially the yields tended to drop off
in the fourth year as compared with those when 100 pounds was applied annually. `
Nitrogen comparisons, including rates and times of applications were also ine
cluded.
Table 1 a —— Effect of Nitrogen on Pasture Yield at Greenville
 
Lb N per Acre Yield per Acre {Cwt) ,
March 1 [une 15 1955 1956 1957 l
0 ‘ 0 50.0 54.9 75.0 I
50 0 51.6 60.3 80.1
0 50 56.5 61.7 , 76.6
50 50 53.8 62.7 81.5
100 0 50. 9 68. 8 79. 3 »
0 100 50. 9 62. 8 78. 0
 
In no year was the response to nitrogen great enough to pay the cost of the i
fertilizer application. The yield trends during the year are not shown by the total
annual yield; however, fertilizer nitrogen tended to increase yields early in the
spring and to decrease yields in late summer and fall.
Simpson County; Two different mixtures which receive the same fertilizer
treatments are included in an experiment located in Simpson county; one mixture (ll
is composed of orchardgrass, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and white clover and ~
the other (Il) is composed of orchardgrass, tall fescue, and Ladino clover, No
stand of white clover was obtained in mixture 1, so it is composed entirely of grasses,
1 but a good stand of Ladino clover was obtained initially in mixture Il.
The soil type is Pembroke silt loam, which is a deep, well-drained, highly pro
tluctive soil typical of the upland soils of the limestone section of the western Penny
royal.
In this experiment, one treatment is included which receives no fertilizer, one .
which received an initial application, and one which receives an initial plus an annual
maintenance application. The yields in 1956 and 1957 are given in Table Z.,
Results with both mixtures show a marked response to fertilizer. ln Mixture I,
no clover was present, and nitrogen was limiting in all three treatments. ln Mix-
ture II, excellent clover stands were obtained. and an excellent response was obtained
for the annual maintenance application in 1957.
Various rates and combinations of phosphorus and potassium were applied. All
these treatments received an initial application of Z0 pounds N and Z0 pounds PZO5
per acre at seeding. The results obtained in 1956 and 1957 are given in Table 3,

 -4- `
Table 2. ---Yie1d of Pasture in Simpson County in 1956 and 1957
Lb N—P205 ·-K20 per Acre
Armual Yield (Cwt / A)
At Seeding Togessing 1956 1957 Total —
Pasture Mixturel
0-0-0 0-0-0 15. 5 24. 8 40. 3
20- 120-60 0-0-0 47. 6 28. 0 75. 6
20-120-60 0-30-60 48.2 26. 9 75. 1
Pasture Mixture Il
0-0-0 O-0-0 ` 14. 6 19. 7 34. 3
20- 120-60 0-0-0 58. 0 39. 6 97. 6
20- 120-60 0-30-60 56. 4 48. 5 104. 9
Table 3. —- Effect of Phosphorus and Potassium on Yield of Pasture
____ Mixture Il in Simpson County gw;
Yield gCwt/A) _____
Lb 13205 Lb KZO per Acre
_4 pm Acre 60 120 240 480 _ r___
1259. ·
*30 36;}.2 35 8 35.4 -
A ' 60 35.6 38.9 42.6 -
120 37.9 47 9 42.4 ··
  - - —’ 40. S 42., 4
.‘—f%$Z l
30 30. 8 24. 5 27. 9 ·—
60 31. 3   5 34. 6   A
120 38. 1 39. 7 37. 4 -
240 - - 33.0 49.2
No response was obtained for potassium in either year; although an appar+tnt
response was obtained in 1.956, th.e differences were not large enough to be signif;
cant. However, the increase i.n yield due to phosphorus applications was highlr
significant in 1957. Applications of N and K 0 at 240 and 480-pound rates were top
dressed in 120-pound increments in early spring and imrrtediately after sum essive
cuttings until the proper amount had been applied.
With both mixtures, various rates of nitrogen were applied in combination with
rates of phosphorus and potassium. ttables 4 and 5)
All treatments in tables 4 and 5 included 20 pounds of N and 20 pound of P50.
at seeding. and the treatments given in the tables were topdressed i.n spring 1956)
and 1957, 'When 240 pounds of N and KZ0 were to be applied, the applications we 1 .
split and 120 pounds of ear h applied in early spring and 120 pounds after the first
cutting.

 :5.,
Table 4. -— Effect of Nitrogen on Yield of Mixture I in Simpson County
— Yield jCwt/A)
Lb N Pounds 13205 — K20 per Acre
per Acre 30 - 60 60 — 120 120 - 240 Average
»· .L2§§
0 27. 5 34. 6 33. 1 31. 7
30 38. 5 42. 9 41. 1 40. 8
60 39. 5 41. 8 49. 8 43. 7
120 45. 7 52. 3 52. 0 50. 0 A
240 55. 2 64. 9 61. 9 60. 7
JTQEL7-
0 24. 2 28. 4 29. 7 27. 4
30 35. 9 37. 8 41. B 38. 5
60 46.. 7 47. 3 50. 5 48. 2 I
120 57. 9 62., 3 63.. 2 61. 1 I
240 73. 6 76. 6 84. 2 78. 1
 
As stated above, this mixture is composed almost entirely of grass, since the
white clover failed to give a stand. Consequently, all of the nitrogen must be derived
from either fertilizer or soil organic matter. An excellent response was obtained _
for nitrogen in both 1956 and 1957, and the response was relatively greater in
1957.
Table 5. -- Effect of Nitrogen on Yield of Mixture Il in Simpson County ·I
 
Yield {Cwt /A) '
Lb N Pounds Pg;05 · K20 per Acre
_ cr Acre 30 - 60 60 ·- 120 120 — 240 Averane
12§Q
0 36. 2 38. 9 42. 4 39. 2
30 40. 6 43. 8 50. 0 44. 8
60 44. 1 46.4 50. 8 47.1
120 51.1 58.3 59.7 56.4
240 63. 8 59.7 67.4 63.6
EEZ
O 30. 8 29. 5 37. 4 32. 6
30 2 1. 8 29. 2 38. 4 29. 8
60 22. 9 27. 8 37. 2 29. 3
120 27. 1 28.9 35.0 30. 3
240 44.1 51.3 59.4 51.6
A response to nitrogen was obtained in 1956, but none in 1957 except at the
240-pound rate. At rates of 120 and 240 pounds, all of the clover has been elimi-»
mated. and a substantial portion of the clover is gone at the 30 and 60—pound rates.
ln addition, on the 240 -pound plots, the stand of grass is thin, and the plots are
becouiing weedy.

 ..6.. _
Through an error, no weights were obtained from the second cutting of mixture
I1 in 1957. Therefore, a comparison of total yields of mixtures I and I1 cannot be
made., *
Garrard County; (The experiments in Garrard county were conducted by W, C,
Templeton, Jru, T, H, Taylor, and W, N, l\/[c1\/Iakin). Two pasture fertility experi
ments were established in Garrard County, Kentucky in the spring of 1954 on soil
tentatively classified as Trappist silt loam, This land was very low in available
phosphorus and low to medium in available potash. The primary mixture used is
Kyl 31 tall fescue—Ladino clover., A few plots of orchardgrass—Ladino clover are
included., Rates of application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are being
testeduas is time of application of nitrogen, Generally speaking, precipitation during
the three growing seasons has been adequate though periods of mild drought occurred
during late summer in 1956 and again in 1957, Response to the fertility treatments
has been determined in terms of dry matter production and clover content of the
herbage, _
Phosphorus fertilization has been effective in increasing both forage yields and
clover content, For example, 1955-56 average yields per acre and cl.over content
were as follows for tall fescue—Ladin0 clover;
· - Table 6.
  __l)ry Matter/A, lb Clover Content, 9@_ .
O 2,70*1 26
20 3,892 38
ZOO 4,41*lZ 35 `
Little or no response to potash has been obtained in these experiments to
date,
Plots which received commercial nitrogen during 1955 and 1956 had less clover
at the beginning of the 1957 season than did similar plots which had not received
nitrogena By the end of the 1957 season some plots had virtually no clover, Three-
year (1955-57) average production and clover content are listed for a few represen
tative treatments of tall fescue—-Ladino clovern
Total seasonal yields of tall fescue— Ladino clover and orchardgrass Ladino
· clover have been virtually the same but fall production of the tall fescue -Ladino
clover has been considerably higher than that of the orchardgrass—Ladino mixture,

 ..7..
Table. 7. -- Average Seasonal Production and Clover Content of a Tall Fescue-Ladino Mixture
When Fertilized with Different Rates of Fertilizer, 1955-57 Average.
Treatment Dry Matter Clover
Treatment N . V P205 Kg0 per acre, Content,
No. March May Aug. ,_ March March pounds per cent
1 0 0 0 0 i 0 3,449 32 __,
2 30 0 0 20 30 4,784 35
3 0 30 0 20 30 4,826 31
4 0 0 30 _;___20 · 30 4, 994 38
5 60 0 0 20 30 4,730 27 ,
6 0 60 0 , 20 30 -14, 967 30
7 0 0 60_ 20 30 4,949 37
______8 0 0 0 200 150 6, 151 V 43
9 120 0 0 200 150 6, 212 17 _
10 0 120 0 200 150 6,586 29
11 0 0 120 200 150 6, 529 34
12 40 40 40 _ 200 150 6, 863 25 _
13 240 0 0 I V 200 150 6, 458 12 ,
14 80 80_ 80 200 150 7, 382 13
Laurel County; An experiment was conducted in Laurel County from 1952. to
1954 on Tilsit silt loam, The soil is similar to that described on the Greenville
Soil Experiment Field. A mixture of orchardgrass, tall fescue and Ladino clover
was seeded in spring 1952.., A
Table 8. -- Yield of Pasture in Laurel County 1952-54
N ·- P205 V- l·<20=Z< Yield (Cwt/A) 7 Tm
_ hb/A 1952 1953 1954
50-0-50 11.9 36.4 32.7
50-250-50 16, 9 53. 0 47. 7
O-250-50 10. 8 5 1.     3
.5¢}·'Z50·—0 ____ LQ, 2 50., 0 40. 2 __
L. S. D. (0.05) 3., 3 5. 4 8. 5
>lr_> 1955 _ 1956 ___ 1957 TOEl__ J_ W
O 0 0 39, 7 77. 2 45. 3 162, 2
60 60 ' *30 38. 7 74, 9 54. 4 168. 0
120 IPO 360 37,4 75,4 56.9 16**.7
210 0 *0 41. 8 81, 3 51.0 1'C.,1
360 0 360 35.7 81.0 50.9 1.67.6
Even though the soil tested low in potassium no response was obtained until the
third t·¤·a·i of the expe ,·m~nt lloweve the stand of alfalfa is poor on plots to which
no potass tim has been applted. apparently potassium has affected the stand of alfalfa
niore than the xivlds

 -10..
Simpson County; Rates of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are included in
an experiment located on Pembroke silt loam, which is similar to the soil where the
preceding experiment (Western Kentucky Substation) is located. A mixture of Atlantic
alfalfa and orchardgrass was seeded in September, 1955. Fertilizers were applied
at seeding and again topdressed in early spring, 1957.
Table 14. -- Effect of Phosphorus on Yield of Alfalfa in Simpson County
Lb PZOS per Acre* Yield per Acre (Cwt)
1955 1957 1956 1957 Total __
0 0 34.9 37.2 , 72.,1
50 50 38.0 54.0 . 92.0 A
100 100 41. 6 58. 2 99. 8
200 200 43. 8 58. 4 102. 2
100 25 46.4 55.0 101.4
150 0 43. 9 56.9 l 100__, 8 ________ W
*120 lbs. KZO applied to all plots. ·
A marked response to phosphorus was obtained both years., Apparently, a
heavy initial application was as effective, for the 2-Year period, as were the split
applications.
Table 15. -— Effect of Potassium on Yield of Alfalfa in Simpson County
Lb K2O per Acre* Yield per Acre (Cwt)
1955 1956 1956 1957 Total _________
0 0 38. 6 53.2 91. 8 '
60 60 38. 6 53. 1 91. 7
120 120 38.4 53. 7 92. 1
180 180 39. 5 55. 7 95. 2 .
240 240 40. 0 56. 0 96. 0
240 0 41. 6 53.9 95. 5
480 0 38. 5 55. 0 93. 5
*120 lbs. TQO5 per acre applied to all plots in 1955 and 1957.
No response was obtained for potassium in either year. These results are
similar to those obtained for the first two years at the Western Kentucky Substation.
“ Table 16. -— Effect of Niuogcn on Yield of Alfalfa in Simpson County
Yield per Acre
Lb N per Acre* 1956 1957 _____ ____
` 0 38.4 53.7
30 40.6 58. 3
60 40. 7 61. 0 ·
  ,.._ __ .__________ _
*120 pounds per acre of PZO5 and KZO applied to all plots.

 l l -. ‘
No response was obtained in 1956, and the higher yields in 1957 were due mostly
to increased growth of orchardgrasst The increased yields at the 30 and 60 pound ~
rates were barely enough to pay for the fertilizer nitrogenc, When the effect of _
nitrogen on alfalfa stand is considered, the use of fertilizer nitrogen would probably
be detrimental, ’
Discussion of Results t
In general, the results of these experiments substantiate the fertilizer recommen—
dations given in Miscellaneous Publications l0 and 13,
Lime; Only one experiment reported here included a liming differential (Table 10li
From the soil test for acidity (pH 6., 5}, a slight response to lime would have _
been expected, and results of the second cutting show a small, but consistent
response., Results from the soil experiment fields have shown that proper
liming is essential if legumes are to be grown successfully. The rate of
application should always be determined by means of soil testsl I _
Phosphorus; Phosphorus comparisons. were included in several experiments (Tables
T Z,   7, 8, 9, li, and 14) A good stand of legumes cannot be obtained unless
sufficient available phosphorus is present in the soil, Sufficient phosphorus (
should be applied at seeding to obtain a good stand, and then the phosphorus
level can be maintained by periodic. topdressing, Phosphorus fertilization is
necessary on nearly all of the soils in Kentucky except for the highzzphosphate
soils of the lnner Bluegrass and certain of the overflow bottom soils,
Potassium; Potassium comparisons were included at every location (Tables l, 3, y
—_“7, 8, 9, ll, 13, and i5;. Exreilent yield   esponses were obtained at Greenville V
and Lexington At both of these locations present recommendations made on
the basis of soil tests would apparently have resulted in the most profitable rate
of fertilization
Very little response was obtained for potassium on Pembroke silt loam at
either the Western Kentucky Substation or Simpson County (Tables 3, l3 and 15},,
At Princeton in !957, a slight response was apparently obtained (Table 13) an.d
the stand was definitely better where potassium had been applied, These results
are in agreenient with other results obtained on this particular soil type, On the °
basis of these and other experimental results. potash applications equal to one- ·
half to two—thirds of the present retommended rates would probabl;·_be sufficient
for optimuni production of alfalfa and pasture on the well-drained upland soils
dgrlvipi froni limestone in the Western Pennyroyal (red clay soils),
Nitrogen; lf a pasture mixture contains a substantial portion of clover, the results
_—- obtained in these experinients (Tables l a. 5. 7, and 8) indicate that little or no
response van be expected for fertilizer nitrogen. However, if the pasture is
mainly grass (Table ali. excellent responses can be expected. The data obtained
with alfalfa (Tables ll and .6 india ate that very little response aan be expe ted,
ln general. these results indit ate that nitrogen applications to legumes or mix
tures vontauiing a considerable proportion of legurries will not be profitable,
3M-»4--58