EFFECTIVENESS OF BANDING VERSUS BROADCASTING OF ESTABLISHMENT-TIME AND ANNUAL PHOSPHORUS APPLICATIONS ON YIELD, PROTEIN, AND PHOSPHORUS UPTAKE OF BROMEGRASS

A field experiment was conducted from 1993 to 1995 on a phosphorus (P)-deficient Black Chernozemic (Typic Boroll) soil near Ponoka, Alberta, Canada to compare the effectiveness of broadcasting (spread on the soil surface) versus banding (1.5 cm wide band placed 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart, using a coulter-type disc drill) of P fertilizer applied annually (10, 20, 30, and 40 kg P ha−1) or at time of forage establishment (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg P ha−1) on dry matter yield (DMY), protein yield (PY) and P uptake (PU) of bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss) managed as hay. Fertilizer P markedly increased DMY, PY, and PU in all the three years. Annual broadcasting of P fertilizer produced greater increase in DMY, PY, and PU than banding (by 921 kg DMY ha−1, 71 kg PY ha−1, and 1.51 kg PU ha−1). On the contrary, banding P fertilizer at establishment produced higher increases in DMY, PY, and PU than broadcasting (by 3136 kg DMY ha−1, 331 kg PY ha−1, and 7.42 kg PU ha−1). The differences in DMY, PY, and PU between banding and broadcasting were not influenced by P rate. The increase in DMY, PY, and PU tended to increase with P rate, except for the establishment-time broadcasting treatments. Broadcast P fertilizer was much more effective with annual than establishment time application, whereas banded P fertilizer was almost equally effective with establishment-time and annual applications. Overall, annual broadcasting was most effective, establishment-time broadcasting was least effective and effectiveness of annual or establishment-time banding was intermediate.

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