Response of a Seeded Mixture of Warm-season Prairie Grasses to Fertilization

A seeded mixture of warm-season prairie grasses containing big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi, Vitman), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans, L.), and sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula, L.) was fertilized over a four-year period with N, P, K, S and Zn. Yields were increased by N and combinations of N and P, but not by K, S, or Zn. Fertilization did not alter indexes of quality (% protein and % digestible dry matter) in the mature tissue. After four years, the percentage of each species in the mixture had not been altered by fertilizer treatment. Encroachment by cool-season species and weeds was not encouraged by fertilization which was largely attributed to the fact that fertilizers were applied after May 15 of each year.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202