Bermudagrass Cultivar Response to Swine Effluent Application

Abstract

Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] has great potential to recover nutrients due to its pronounced yield response to N. Our objective was to determine differences in forage dry matter (DM) yield, nutrient concentration, and nutrient uptake among diverse bermudagrass cultivars fertilized with swine effluent. ‘Alicia’, ‘Brazos’, ‘Coastal’, ‘Russell’, ‘Tifton 44’, and ‘Tifton 85’ hybrid bermudagrass and common bermudagrass were grown on a Brooksville silty clay loam (fine, smectitic, thermic Aquic Hapludert) and fertilized with effluent to provide 370 and 61 kg ha−1 yr−1 N and P, respectively (mean of 3 yr), and on an Atwood silt loam (fine‐silty, mixed, thermic Typic Paleudalf) and fertilized to provide 200 and 38 kg ha−1 yr−1 N and P, respectively. Annual DM yields of Brazos, Coastal, Russell, and Tifton 85 were similar on Brooksville (23.3–24.2 Mg ha−1) and Atwood (12.3–14.1 Mg ha−1) soils. Annual N and P uptake ranged from 422 to 467 kg N ha−1 and 50 to 58 kg P ha−1 on the Brooksville soil and from 181 to 230 kg N ha−1 and 32 to 40 kg P ha−1 on the Atwood soil. Common bermudagrass uptake of N and P was similar to or greater than all hybrids except Russell on Atwood soil due to greater herbage N and P concentration. Hybrids generally recovered more K, Cu, and Zn than common bermudagrass. Relatively small differences in nutrient uptake among the bermudagrass cultivars suggest that forage quality, winter hardiness, and establishment cost be given equal consideration when choosing a cultivar.