EFFECT OF FERTILIZER NITROGEN AND CLIPPING FREQUENCY ON THE CRUDE PROTEIN CONTENT, CRUDE PROTEIN YIELD AND APPARENT NITROGEN RECOVERY OF INTERMEDIATE WHEATGRASS
The effects of six rates of N fertilizer and five frequencies of clipping on the crude protein content, crude protein yield, and apparent recovery of N in intermediate wheatgrass, Agropyron intermedium (Host.) Beauv., were studied for three years on irrigated land. The crude protein content of intermediate wheatgrass increased with increasing rates of N fertilizer, and decreased with longer intervals between clippings. Applications of N fertilizer resulted in increased yields of crude protein. Clipping interval did not have a consistent influence on crude protein yield of intermediate wheatgrass. Apparent N recoveries ranged from 27% in the first crop year to over 50% in subsequent years. Neither fertilizer rate nor clipping interval had a consistent influence on N recovery.