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- Title
Effects of mixing forage species contrasting in vertical and temporal nutrient capture on nutrient yields and fertilizer recovery in productive grasslands.
- Authors
Husse, S.; Lüscher, A.; Buchmann, N.; Hoekstra, N.; Huguenin-Elie, O.
- Abstract
Background and aims: Mixing grasses with N-fixing legumes benefits grassland yields. We examined if grass/forb/legume mixtures combining species with complementary vertical and temporal nutrient capture further promote nutrient yields and improve fertilizer N recovery. Methods: Four species differing in N-fixing ability and in vertical and temporal nutrient capture were grown in monoculture and two- and four-species mixtures. N was used to examine vertical complementarity in nutrient capture and fertilizer N recovery. Asynchrony was quantified from the N yield distribution over the year. Results: The positive mixture effects on N and P yields ( P < 0.001) between species contrasting in vertical and temporal nutrient capture (with same N-fixing ability) were of a similar magnitude (+45 kg N) as those between N-fixing and non-fixing species with shallow roots (+52 kg N). Mixture benefits were maximized up to +99 kg N when constituent species differed in N-fixing ability and vertical and temporal nutrient capture. Species modified their vertical N capture when grown in mixture (niche shift). Remarkably, mixing Trifolium pratense and Cichorium intybus, which were similar in both vertical and temporal nutrient capture, generated negative mixture effects. The 4-species mixture captured as much fertilizer N as the grass monoculture, despite significant abundance of legumes. Conclusions: Combining species differing in multiple characteristics for nutrient capture optimizes nutrient capture of non-legume/legume-mixtures.
- Subjects
FORAGE plants; PLANT species; NITROGEN-fixing plants; LEGUMES; PLANT nutrients; NUTRIENT uptake; NITROGEN fertilizers
- Publication
Plant & Soil, 2017, Vol 420, Issue 1/2, p505
- ISSN
0032-079X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11104-017-3372-0