Forage quality and quantity from palatable grasses, like creeping bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash var. polycladus (Schriber & Ball) Bruner (Syn S. stoloniferum Nash.)], are limited, especially in winter when cows graze Florida range. We anticipated that N fertilizer (0, 40, 60, 120 kg ha-1), P (0, 25 kg ha-1) and K (0, 100 kg ha-1) would increase bluestem yield, tiller density, and forage quality. Within sample dates yield and tiller density increased linearly with N rate. For example 31 days after fertilization, intercepts for equations predicting yield were 319 kg ha-1 and 124 m-2 with coefficients of 1.2 and 0.29, respectively, where the independent variable is N rate. Over sample dates yield responses to N rate were quadratic and tiller densities were cubic. Reproductive tiller density was increased by N fertilization (1989 tiller density, nom-2, = 30 + 0.29N). Neither yield nor tiller density was affected by P fertilizer, but K fertilizer increased reproductive tiller density, hence fall yield. After 3 years of fertilization, N had negative quadratic and negative linear effects on yield and tiller density, respectively. Tissue N concentration in the fall was reduced with N fertilization because of increases in reproductive growth (1988 calendar 145 days postfertilization, g kg-1 = 5.7 - 0.041 N + 0.00031 N2). Fertilization of creeping bluestem is not a recommended practice when bluestem is to be grazed in fall and winter. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.