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Abstract Detail



Agronomy

Sahota, Dr. Tarlok Singh [1].

Effect of urea, ESN and ammonium sulphate on forage grasses production in northwestern Ontario.

Sahota, T. S. 2015. Effect of urea, ESN and ammonium sulphate on forage grasses production in northwestern Ontario. Paper presented at the Plant Canada Conference “Botany 2015 – Science and Plants for People”, Edmonton, Alberta on July 25-29, 2015. Urea, the predominant N fertilizer for crop production in Ontario/Canada, is subject to high N losses. ESN, a slow release N fertilizer, could be an alternative to urea; though in cold weather it may be too slow to release N, especially for the first cut in grasses. Part application of N from ammonium sulphate (AS) could meet sulphur requirements of crop plants. A field experiment, on forage grasses mixture (timothy 50 %, bromegrass 42.5 % and orchardgrass 7.5 %), with 7 treatments, including a no N check, two rates of N (105 and 140 kg ha-1) from urea, urea + ESN (3:1 on N basis) and urea + ESN + ammonium sulphate (5.5:2.5:1.95 on N basis) was conducted in completely randomized block design, replicated four times, during 2012-’14 at Thunder Bay, Ontario. In earlier studies, response to N in timothy was linear up to 105 kg ha-1. Hence 140 kg N ha-1 was included in this study. Averaged over 2 harvest years, it was found that application of N @ 105 kg ha-1 from urea/or urea + ESN/or urea + ESN + ammonium sulphate (AS) at least doubled the forage dry matter yield (DMY). Increasing the N rate from 105 to 140 kg ha-1 with urea, urea + ESN and urea + ESN + AS increased the grasses DMY by 560, 790, and 900 kg ha-1, respectively. DMY increase by urea + ESN + AS @ 140 kg N ha-1, as compared to urea @ 105 kg N ha-1, was 1,444 kg ha-1. At an extra cost of ~$72.2 ha-1 from urea + ESN + AS, the blend gave an additional gain of $144.4 ha-1 @ $100 Mg ha-1 of grass hay. This meant two dollars return for every dollar invested in the additional N supply from the three fertilizers as compared to urea alone. First cut protein content in the dry hay ranged from 12.5 % in check to 19.3 % with urea + ESN @ 140 kg N ha-1 (3:1 on N basis). The protein content in other fertilizer treatments ranged from 14.7 to 17.7 %.


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1 - Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station, 435 James St. S, , Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 6S7, Canada

Keywords:
Urea
ESN
Ammonium sulphate
Cereal grasses
Biomass yield and quality
Protein content
Economic returns.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 37
Location: Salon 2/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2015
Time: 8:45 AM
Number: 37003
Abstract ID:1063
Candidate for Awards:None


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