The impact of lime and nitrogen fertilization on cocksfoot and reed canary grass productivity in Albeluvisol and energy evaluation of their cultivation technology

Abstract

Research on two perennial Poaceae species – cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) – was aimed to investigate the effect of liming and nitrogen fertilization on biomass productivity and to carry out energy analysis of the growing technology. The soil of the experimental site is acid moraine loam (pH 4.25–4.85) Eutri-Hypostagnic Albeluvisol (ABj-w-eu). The experiments were composed of three levels of liming (not limed, limed with 3.0 and 6.0 t ha -1 of CaCO 3 ) and three levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization (0, 60 and 120 kg ha -1 N). According to the results averaged over three years of investigations, the highest productivity was obtained in 2011, when the average cocksfoot dry mass yield amounted to 7215 kg ha -1 , and reed canary grass – to 10833 kg ha -1 (including 1 st and 2 nd cuts). The application of 6.0 t ha -1 CaCO 3 lime rate positively affected cocksfoot dry mass increment, although had no significant influence on reed canary grass dry mass yield. Nitrogen fertilization had the highest effect on the productivity of both grasses. Compared with the control treatment (0 kg ha -1 N), the application of 120 kg ha -1 N rate increased cocksfoot dry mass by 220% and reed canary grass by 243%. The energy evaluation of growing technology showed that the total energy input for grass cultivation (direct and indirect input, machinery energy consumption and human labour input) amounted to 8.91–26.02 GJ ha -1 , of which liming material and mineral fertilizers accounted for 2.45–19.39 GJ ha -1 . Cocksfoot accumulated 59–165 GJ ha -1 and reed canary grass 84–228 GJ ha -1 of biomass energy on average per season. As a result, the highest energy use efficiency (energy output/input ratio), which was positively influenced by 120 kg ha -1 N fertilization, was achieved