Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization on Forage Yield and Quality of Annual Ryegrass Grown in Southwest Texas, 1998
Texas has about one million acres in ryegrass forage production. The goal of this study was to evaluate ryegrass response to several rates of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) fertilization. Total forage dry matter yield from six harvests during the third year (1998) showed no response to N in the absence of applied P. Likewise, increasing levels of P fertilization provided no significant yield increases when no N fertilizer was applied. Results emphasize the importance of balanced N and P fertility and the effect of good P fertility on yield and N use efficiency. This is the last year of the field phase of the study. The next phase will involve the determination of the effect of N and P fertilization on forage quality and mineral content. TX-35F
