STUDIES WITH FERTILIZED PASTURES ON A HEAVY TEXTURED SOIL IN NORTHERN ALBERTA

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Yields of herbage, animal gains, carrying capacity and TDN production were determined for three pasture swards grown on a Grey Wooded soil (Albright-Hythe series) in the Peace River region of northern Alberta over the period 1953 to 1956 inclusive. Sheep were used as grazing units. Fertilizer treatments of nil, ammonium phosphate (11-48-0) at 300 pounds per acre and ammonium nitrate (33-0-0) at 100 pounds per acre were applied annually to pastures of creeping red fescue, creeping red fescue-alfalfa and bromegrass-alfalfa.Productivity obtained with unfertilized grass-legume mixtures was almost double that for unfertilized grass grown alone. Increased production attributable to alfalfa was also obtained, although to a lesser degree, where fertilizers were used. Pastures of creeping red fescue seeded alone and with alfalfa responded markedly to applications of nitrogen while responses to phosphorus were negligible. Conversely, bromegrass-alfalfa pastures responded strongly to applications of phosphorus and only slightly to nitrogen.