Abstract
The intercropping of ryegrass and red clover constitutes a sustainable alternative to mitigate the adverse effects of intensive livestock production on grassland degradation by increasing forage yield and quality. The implementation of biofertilization technologies has been widely used to improve soil nutritional properties, and therefore has the potential to ensure the success of this multicrop system. To determine the impact of bioaugmentation on forage growth and quality, as well as the associate changes in the rhizosphere bacterial community, we evaluated the inoculation with two plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) under reduced nitrogen usage. Overall, Herbaspirillum sp. AP21 had a larger effect than Azospirillum brasilense D7 on plant growth. Inoculation with Herbaspirillum sp. AP21 together with 50% of the required nitrogen rate increased shoot dry weight, crude protein, and shoot nitrogen content, and decreased the amount of neutral detergent fiber. PGPB inoculation changed the rhizosphere bacterial community structure, which associated with forage growth and quality. We conclude that PGPB inoculation has the potential to improve the growth of the ryegrass-red clover system, decreasing the requirements for nitrogen fertilization.
Highlights
The growing demand for livestock is progressively resulting in grassland degradation and environmental pollution
Shoot dry weight ranged between ∼32 and ∼40 g pot−1 without inoculation, and plant biomass gradually increased with the fertilization rate (Figure 1B)
We explored the impact of both strains at the different N fertilization doses on forage quality
Summary
The growing demand for livestock is progressively resulting in grassland degradation and environmental pollution. The pressing challenge is to maintain or increase livestock production, while achieving greater environmental and economical sustainability. This sustainability can be achieved by introducing practices that result in the reduction of soil erosion, nutrient deficiency, weed encroachment, and desertification (Sattari et al, 2016). One of the potential solutions to mitigate the negative environmental impact of intensive livestock production is the implementation of intercropping systems, as the introduction of forage legume crops in grass pasture production systems improves soil fertility and allows the efficient use of water and nutrients, especially under drought conditions (Bi et al, 2019).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
