Effect of nitrogen fertilization on the biomass production of natural pastures at the Illpa Experimental Center

Abstract:

Soil fertility and sustainability of agricultural systems depend on soil organic matter (SOM), often considered the life source of soil, as it provides energy and nutrients to soil organisms and plays a crucial role in natural and agricultural ecosystems. The general objective of this research work was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen fertilization on biomass production in natural pastures at the Illpa Experimental Center. The specific objectives were: 1) To determine the influence of nitrogen fertilization on floristic composition, plant cover and green matter yield in natural pastures. 2) To evaluate the interaction of biomass and nitrogen fertilization doses in natural pastures. 3) To determine the protein content, neutral detergent fiber and ash content. The treatments were distributed according to the Completely Randomized Block Design with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement, with factor A (biomass cutting) and factor B (four doses of nitrogen fertilization), having a total of 8 treatments, with 3 repetitions (blocks), obtaining a total of 24 experimental plots. For data analysis, the R studio program was used, with analysis of variance (ANOVA), with Duncan test. According to the main results, nitrogen fertilization had an influence on floristic composition, plant cover and green matter production with a dose of 100 kg N/ha. Regarding dry matter production (kg/ha), treatment T4 with a dose of 150 kg N/ha and without performing the biomass cutting obtained the highest value, with 5645 kg/ha. In the crude protein analysis, the T8 treatment with a dose of 150 kg N/ha and biomass cutting presented the highest value, with a crude protein content of 10.39. Regarding the NDF content, similar results were obtained with an average of 54.87. It is therefore concluded that nitrogen fertilization in adequate doses helps to increase its nutritional quality in natural pastures.