EFFECT OF DIFFERENT FERTILIZER TREATMENTS ON BOTANICAL COMPOSITION, HERBAGE YIELD AND HERBAGE QUALITY IN THE EASTERN ANATOLIA REGION PASTURE OF TURKEY

Abstract

This study was carried out to reveal the effect of different doses of nitrogen, phosphorus and combinations of these doses on the botanical composition, herbage yield and herbage quality in the Eastern Anatolia Region pasture of Turkey. In the study 0, 5, 10, 15 kg da(-1) nitrogen, 0, 4, 8, 12 kg da(-1) phosphorus doses and different combinations of these fertilizers (5-4, 5-8, 5-12, 10-4, 10-8, 10-12, 15-4, 15-8, 15-12 kg da(-1)) were used and the study was conducted over a natural pasture section of Research and Application Center of Bingol University. Experiments were conducted between the years 2014-2017 for 4 years in randomized blocks factorial experimental design with 3 replications and 2 factors. Weight-based botanical composition, green herbage yield, dry herbage yield, crude protein yield, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and relative feed values (RFV) were investigated. Present findings revealed that fertilizer treatments (nitrogen and phosphorus doses and combinations) increased legume ratio in botanical composition, green herbage yields, dry herbage yields, crude protein yields and relative feed values and reduced ADF and NDF ratios systematically during the first three years of the experiments. The greatest green herbage yield (758.9 kg da(-1)), dry herbage yield (458.6 kg da(-1)) and crude protein yield (63.7 kg da(-1)) were obtained from 10 kg da(-1) nitrogen and 8 kg da(-1) phosphorus treatments. As compared to the control plot, the plot with 10-8 kg da(-1) N-P treatment had about 115.7\% greater green herbage yield and 154.4\% greater dry herbage yield. Therefore, 10 kg da(-1) nitrogen and 8 kg da(-1) phosphorus treatments could be recommended for fertilization programs to be applied in pastures of Bingol province and the Eastern Anatolia pastures with the similar ecological conditions.