Effects of Silicon Application and Groundwater Level in a Subirrigation System on Yield of a Three-Cut Meadow

Abstract

The increasing demand for food and animal products makes it important to ensure that animals have sufficient fodder obtained from grassland. Unfortunately, there has been a recent decline in grassland areas, which makes it essential to find solutions to increase the grassland’s productivity and the quality of the fodder it yields. One of these solutions may be the use of appropriate irrigation and fertilization. The present study investigated the effect of the foliar application of silicon fertilizer and the groundwater level in a subirrigation system on the yield of a three-cut meadow. Four different experimental plots were used: high groundwater level (HWL), high groundwater level with silicon application (HWL_Si), lower groundwater level (LWL), and lower groundwater level with silicon application (LWL_Si). The analyses showed that silicon significantly reduced the amount of dry matter obtained in each of the three meadow cuts during the year. Furthermore, the plot with a higher groundwater level had an annual yield of 12.69 Mg·ha−1, whereas when silicon was applied to this area, it was 10.43 Mg·ha−1 (17.8% reduction in dry matter). A similar trend was noted at lower water levels, in which silicon also caused a dry matter reduction. However, the experiment did not indicate a statistically significant effect of silicon application on plant height and NDVI values. These results show that further research is still needed to better understand silicon’s effect on meadow sward.