AN ASSESSMENT OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS FROM SPRING AND SUMMER APPLICATIONS OF AMMONIUM NITRATE ON ORCHARDGRASS
Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) was grown for 5 yr on a fine sandy loam fertilized with ammonium nitrate at 40–120 kg N∙ha−1 applied in either spring or summer or in combination. Stands were cut two or three times during each growing season. Single N applications in spring increased annual yield by about 11% over equivalent summer applications. For split applications no significant difference in annual yield was found regardless of whether the greater fraction was applied in spring or summer. A second order polynomial was found to explain almost all of the variation in the response curve over time for dry matter yield. Application of 120–165 kg N∙ha−1 were required to maintain a uniform yearly production. There was variation in the mean seasonal N concentration over years but with few clear trends. The N concentrations in cuts 1 and 2 were principally determined by the rate of N applied in the spring and summer but there was a carryover effect from the first to the second cut for the highest rate of applied N in the 4th and 5th years.Key words: Dactylis glomerata L., herbage production, tissue N concentration