EFFECTS OF FERTILIZERS, SPECIES, AND MATURITY ON YIELDS, ECONOMIC RETURNS, AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF GRASSES AND LEGUMES GROWN ON A GRAY WOODED SOIL
Samples of hay produced on variously fertilized permanent plots located on a Gray Wooded soil were collected in 1966 and 1967 at two stages of maturity. The composition of the samples was determined by hand-sorting, drying, and weighing. Yields were compared to long-time averages on the plots. Nutritive effects were evaluated by protein analyses and in vitro digestibility studies. Results showed that the nitrogen–phosphorus–sulfur (NPS) + manure fertilizer treatment gave the highest yield, the nitrogen–sulfur (NS) treatment gave the highest return on fertilizer investment, and the NPS treatment was best when both yield and protein were considered. The effects of crop management factors such as time of cutting, weed control, length of rotation, and climatic variation on production of good quality hay were clearly evident.