Abstract
In warm-climate grasslands, litter deposition and decomposition are one of the main pathway of nutrient cycling. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer or the inclusion of a legume in such grasslands modifies litter characteristics and chemical composition. This study evaluated how the N supply of palisadegrass [Urochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) R.D. Webster] pastures affect litter characteristics two years after seeding. Treatments were palisadegrass fertilized or not with N (150 or 0 kg N ha−1 year−1) or mixed with the legume forage peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo). The experimental period covered two consecutive rainy seasons. Nitrogen fertilization increased by 43 and 62% the existing litter mass (organic matter, OM), and by 32 and 23% the litter deposition rate compared to unfertilized palisadegrass or legume-grass mixtures, respectively. Both variables were affected by grazing cycle (GC), with low litter deposition rate (14 kg ha−1 d−1 OM) and existing litter mass (1390 kg ha−1 OM) in the GC4 due to low rainfall. Nitrogen fertilized palisadegrass had greater litter N concentration (7.9 ± 0.4 g kg−1 OM—C:N ratio 34 ± 2) than in monoculture or legume-grass mixtures (C:N ratios 45 and 58 ± 2, respectively). Our results indicated that N fertilization of palisadegrass increased litter accumulation, however, N fertilization was not a key driver of the litter decomposition rate, even though it increased litter N concentration. After 2 years of establishment, the proportion of forage peanut in the litter was still low, reducing the benefits of legume inclusion to enhance litter nutrient cycling in these pastures.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alencar NM, Vendramini JMB, Santos AC, Silveira ML, Dubeux JCB, Sousa LF, Neiva JNM (2018) Herbage characteristics of pintoi peanut and paslisadegrass established as monoculture or mixed swards. Crop Sci 58:1–7. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.09.0538
Allen VG, Batello C, Berretta EJ, Hodgson J, Kothmann M, Li X, McIvor J, Milne J, Morris C, Peeters A, Sanderson M (2011) An international terminology for grazing lands and grazing animals. Grass Forage Sci 66:2–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2494.2010.00780.x
Alvares CA, Stape JL, Sentelhas PC, Gonçalves JLM, Sparovek G (2013) Köppen’s climate classification map for Brazil. Meteorol Zeitschrift 22:711–728. https://doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2013/0507
Apolinário VXO, Dubeux JCB Jr, Mello ACL, Vendramini JMB, Lira MA, Santos MVF, Muir JP (2013) Deposition and decomposition of signal grass pasture litter under varying nitrogen fertilizer and stocking rates. Agron J 105:999–1004. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2012.0433
Apolinário VX, Dubeux JCB Jr, Mello ACL, Vendramini JMB, Lira MA, Santos MVF, Muir JP (2014) Litter decomposition of signalgrass grazed with different stocking rates and nitrogen fertilizer levels. Agron J 106:622–627. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2013.0496
Argel PJ, Pizarro EA (1992) Germplasm case study: Arachis pintoi. In.: Pastures for the Tropical Lowlands: CIAT’s (Centro International de Agricultura Tropical) Contribution. Cali, Colombia
Arnold SL, Schepers JS (2004) A simple roller-mill grinding procedure for plant and soil samples. Comm Soil Sci Plant Anal 35:537–545. https://doi.org/10.1081/CSS-120029730
Boddey RM, Macedo R, Tarré RM, Ferreira E, Oliveira OC, Rezende CDP, Cantarutti RB, Pereira JM, Alves BJR, Urquiaga S (2004) Nitrogen cycling in Brachiaria pastures: the key to understanding the process of pasture decline. Agric Ecosyst Environ 103:389–403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2003.12.010
Bonanomi G, Cesarano G, Lombardi N, Motti R, Scala F, Mazzoleni S, Incerti G (2017) Litter chemistry explains contrasting feeding preferences of bacteria, fungi, and higher plants. Sci Rep 7:9208. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09145-w
Bruce RC, Ebersohn JP (1982) Litter measurements in two grazing pastures in south east Queensland. Trop Grassl 16:180–185
Caminha FO, Silva SC, Paiva AJ, Pereira LET, Mesquita P, Guarda VDA (2010) Stability of tiller population of continuously stocked marandu palisade grass fertilized with nitrogen. Pesqui Agropec Bras 45:213–220. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2010000200013(Abstract in English)
Cantarutti RB, Tarre R, Macedo R, Cadisch G, Rezende CP, Pereira JM, Braga JM, Gomide JA, Ferreira E, Alves BJR, Urquiaga S, Boddey RM (2002) The effect of grazing intensity and the presence of a forage legume on nitrogen dynamics in Brachiaria pastures in the Atlantic forest region of the South of Bahia, Brazil. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 64:257–271. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021415915804
Chapman SK, Newman GS, Hart SC, Schweitzer JA, Koch GW (2013) Leaf litter mixtures alter microbial community development: mechanisms for non-additive effects in litter decomposition. PLoS ONE 8:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062671
Claessen MEC (1997) Manual de métodos de análise de solo/Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Solos. 2 ed. rev. Atual. Rio de Janeiro, EMBRAPA-CNPS (in Portuguese)
Costa CHMD, Crusciol CAC, Soratto RP, Ferrari Neto J, Moro E (2016) Nitrogen fertilization on palisadegrass: phytomass decomposition and nutrients release. Pesqui Agropecu Trop 46:159–168. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-40632016v4639297
Cotrufo MF, Ineson P, Rowland AP (1994) Decomposition of tree leaf litters grown under elevated CO2: effect of litter quality. Plant Soil 163:121–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00033948
Cotrufo MF, Soong JL, Horton AJ, Campbell EE, Haddix ML, Wall DH, Parton WJ (2015) Formation of soil organic matter via biochemical and physical pathways of litter mass loss. Nat Geosci 8:776–779. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2520
Domínguez A, Bedano JC, Becker AR (2010) Negative effects of no-till on soil macrofauna and litter decomposition in Argentina as compared with natural grasslands. Soil Tillage Res 110:51–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2010.06.008
Dubeux JCB Jr, Sollenberger LE (2020) Nutriente cycling in grazed pasture. In: Rouquette M Jr, Aiken GE (ed) Management strategies for sustainable cattle production in southern pastures. Academic Press, Cambridge, pp 59–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814474-9.00004-9
Dubeux JCB Jr, Sollenberger LE, Interrante SM, Vendramini JMB, Stewart RL Jr (2006) Litter decomposition and mineralization in bahiagrass pastures managed at different intensities. Crop Sci 46:1305–1310. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2005.08-0263
Dubeux JCB Jr, Sollenberger LE, Mathews BW, Scholberg JM, Santos HQ (2007) Nutrient cycling in warm-climate grasslands. Crop Sci 47:915–928. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.09.0581
Dubeux JCB Jr, Muir JP, Santos MVF, Vendramini JMB, Mello ACL, Lira MA (2011) Improving grassland productivity in the face of economic, social, and environmental challenges. Rev Bras Zootecn 40:280–290
Gomes FDK, Homem BGC, Oliveira MDBL, Dubeux JCB Jr, Boddey RM, Bernardes TF, Casagrande DR (2020) Defoliation frequency affects litter responses and nitrogen excretion by heifers in palisadegrass–forage peanut pastures. Agron J 112:3089–3100. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20240
Heal OW, Anderson JM, Swift MJ (1997) Plant litter quality and decomposition: an historical overview. In: Cadisch G, Giller KE (eds) Driven by nature: plant litter quality and decomposition. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 3–30
Homem BG, Rosa AD, Ferreira IM, Cruvinel IA, Lara MA, Bernardes TF, Casagrande DR (2019) Increasing the population of forage peanut in a mixed pasture by controlling the canopy height. Grass Forage Sci 74:571–575. https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12436
Hunter MD, Adl S, Pringle CM, Coleman DC (2003) Relative effects of macroinvertebrates and habitat on the chemistry of litter during decomposition. Pedobiologia 47:101–115. https://doi.org/10.1078/0031-4056-00174
Isaac SR, Nair MA (2005) Biodegradation of leaf litters in the warm humid tropics of Kerala, India. Soil Biol Biochem 37:1656–1664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2005.02.002
Kohmann MM, Sollenberger LE, Dubeux JCB Jr, Silveira ML, Moreno LS, Silva LS, Aryal P (2018) Nitrogen fertilization and proportion of legume affect litter decomposition and nutrient return in grass pastures. Crop Sci 58:1–11. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2018.01.0028
Kohmann MM, Sollenberger LE, Dubeux JCB Jr, Silveira ML, Moreno LSB (2019) Legume proportion in grassland litter affects decomposition dynamics and nutrient mineralization. Agron J 111:1–11. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2018.09.0603
Krishna MP, Mohan M (2017) Litter decomposition in forest ecosystems: a review. Energy Ecol Environ 2:236–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40974-017-0064-9
Kuypers MM, Marchant HK, Kartal B (2018) The microbial nitrogen-cycling network. Nat Rev Microbiol 16:263–276. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2018.9
Lambers H, Chapin FS III, Pons TL (2008) Plant physiological ecology, 2nd ed. Springer Science, Berlin, Germany. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78341-3
Liu K, Sollenberger LE, Silveira ML, Vendramini JMB, Newman YC (2011) Grazing intensity and nitrogen fertilization affect litter responses in “Tifton 85” bermudagrass pastures: II. Decomposition and nitrogen mineralization. Agron J 103:163–168. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2010.0320
Liu J, Liu S, Li Y, Liu S, Yin G, Huang J, Xu Y, Zhou G (2017) Warming effects on the decomposition of two litter species in model subtropical forests. Plant Soil 420:277–287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3392-9
Moore JE, Mott GO (1974) Recovery of residual organic matter from in vitro digestion of forages. J Dairy Sci 57:1258–1259. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(74)85048-4
Pereira JC, Gomes FK, Oliveira MD, Lara MA, Bernardes TF, Casagrande DR (2017) Defoliation management affects morphogenetic and structural characteristics of mixed pastures of brachiaria grass and forage peanut. Afr J Range For Sci 34:13–19. https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2017.1315960
Raij BV, Andrade JC, Cantarella H, Quaggio JÁ (2001) Análise química para avaliação da fertilidade de solos tropicais. IAC, Campinas (in Portuguese)
Ramalho IO, Rezende CDP, Pereira JM, Macedo RDO, Santos CAD, Monteiro RC, Alves BJR, Carvalho INO, Urquiaga S, Boddey RM (2019) Deposition and decomposition of litter in periods of grazing and rest of a tropical pasture under rotational grazing. Ciênc Rural 49:e20190266. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20190266
Rezende CDP, Cantarutti RB, Braga JM, Gomide JA, Pereira JM, Ferreira E, Tarré R, Macedo R, Alves BJR, Urquiaga S, Cadisch G, Giller KE, Boddey RM (1999) Litter deposition and disappearance in Brachiaria pastures in the Atlantic forest region of the South of Bahia, Brazil. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 54:99–112. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009797419216
Rumpel C, Crème A, Ngo PT, Velásquez G, Mora ML, Chabbi A (2015) The impact of grassland management on biogeochemical cycles involving carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 15:353–371. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-95162015005000034
Sanaullah M, Chabbi A, Charrier X, Rumpel C (2012) How does drought stress influence the decomposition of plant litter with contrasting quality in a grassland ecosystem? Plant Soil 353:277–288. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0995-4
Schimel JP, Bennett J (2004) Nitrogen mineralization: challenges of a changing paradigm. Ecol 85:591–602. https://doi.org/10.1890/03-8002
Silva DRG, Costa KAP, Faquin V, Oliveira IP, Bernardes TF (2013) Rates and sources of nitrogen in the recovery of the structural and productive characteristics of marandu grass. Rev Ciênc Agron 44:184–191. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1806-66902013000100023(in Portuguese, with English abstract)
Six J, Conant RT, Paul EA, Paustian K (2002) Stabilization mechanisms of soil organic matter: implications for C-saturation of soils. Plant Soil 241:155–176. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016125726789
Sollenberger LE, Burns JC (2001) Canopy characteristics, ingestive behaviour and herbage intake in cultivated tropical grasslands. In: International grassland congress 19, pp 321–327
Sollenberger LE, Newman YC, Vendramini JMB (2009) General guidelines for managing pastures for dairy cows. Coop. Ext. Serv. Publ. AG162. Inst. Food Agric. Sci., Univ. Florida, Gainesville
Thomas RJ (1992) The role of the legume in the nitrogen cycle of productive and sustainable pastures. Grass Forage Sci 47:133–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2494.1992.tb02256.x
Thomas RJ, Asakawa NM (1993) Decomposition of leaf litter from tropical forage grasses and legumes. Soil Biol Biochem 25:1351–1361. https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-0717(93)90050-L
Ullah MR, Corneo PE, Dijkstra FA (2019) Inter-seasonal nitrogen loss with drought depends on fertilizer management in a seminatural Australian grassland. Ecosystem. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00469-4
USDA, Soil Survey Staff (2014) Keys to soil taxonomy, 12th edn. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC
Werner JC, Paulino VT, Cantarella H, Andrade NO, Quaggio JÁ (1996) Forrageiras. In: Raij BV, Cantarella H, Quaggio JA, Furlani AMC (eds) Recomendações de adubação e calagem para o Estado de São Paulo. Instituto Agronômico, Campinas, pp 261–274 (in Portuguese)
Wolf DC, Wagner GH (2005) Carbon transformations and soil organic matter formation. In: Sylvia DM, Fuhrmann JJ, Hartel PG, Zuberer DA (eds) Principles and applications of soil microbiology, 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, pp 285–332
Woodard KR, French EC, Sweat LA, Graetz DA, Sollenberger LE, Macoon B, Portier KM, Rymph SJ, Wade BL, Prine GM, Horn HHV Jr (2003) Nitrogen removal and nitrate leaching for two perennial, sod-based forage systems receiving dairy effluent. J Environ Qual 32:996–1007. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2003.9960
Wu Q, Yue K, Wang X, Ma Y, Li Y (2020) Differential responses of litter decomposition to warming, elevated CO2, and changed precipitation regime. Plant Soil 455:155–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04675-1
Zaman M, Nguyen ML, Blennerhassett JD, Quin BF (2008) Reducing NH3, N2O and NO3–N losses from a pasture soil with urease or nitrification inhibitors and elemental S-amended nitrogenous fertilizers. Biol Fertil Soils 44:693–705. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-007-0252-4
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the members of UnespFOR (Brazilian forage Team) for the contributions during the field trial setup. The authors acknowledge the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Grants 2016/11086-1, 2017/11274-5 and thematic Grants 2015/16631-5), the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Grant 404169/2013-9) by financial support, and a grant “Cientista de Nosso Estado” for author RMB a postdoctoral fellowship for INOC both from the Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ).
Funding
The authors were supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Grants 2016/11086-1, 2017/11274-5, and thematic Grant 2015/16631-5), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Grant 404169/2013-9) for financial support, and a grant “Cientista de Nosso Estado” for author RMB and a postdoctoral fellowship for INOC both from the Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Longhini, V.Z., Cardoso, A.S., Berça, A.S. et al. Nitrogen fertilizer increased litter deposition and litter N in warm-climate grasslands. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 119, 247–258 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-021-10119-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-021-10119-8