EFFECTS OF FERTILIZATION ON FORAGE YIELD AND QUALITY IN RANGE SITES WITH DIFFERENT TOPOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE

Abstract

Five range aspects were selected and three doses of N (0, 50, 100 kg ha-1), two doses of P fertilizers (0, 50 kg ha-1), as in combination, were used in this study to determine the effects of fertilization on dry matter yield and forage quality. The study carried out on the Palandoken Mountain rangeland, in Erzurum, in 2004 and 2005 years. Dry matter yield increased by the effects of fertilization and the highest value was in N2P1 treatment plots whereas the lowest was in control plots. The crude protein (CP) contents from fertilizer applications (N, P and N + P) were higher than that of the plots without fertilization. While the north aspect had the highest CP content, the south revealed lowest in terms of average of the study years. The highest acid detergent fiber (ADF) content was found to be in south and the lowest in west. ADF content decreased with fertilization and there were significant differences between fertilization and aspects. North aspect had higher and west aspect lower neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents than those found in other aspects. But the NDF content had no significant difference from north, south and east aspects. N and N+P fertilizations had a significant difference from control and N0P1 treatment plots in the respect of NDF content. Fertilization increased total digestible nutrient of forages. The highest TDN was in west aspect, the lowest was in south aspect. According to the results of the study 100 kg ha-1 fertilizer can be recommended to increase dry matter and forage digestibility of rangelands.