The Influence of Drainage on the growth of Forage Plants

Transcription

1 Research Report No. 11 November, 1958 The Influence of Drainage on the growth of Forage Plants 1958 D. s. Chamblee, Assoc. Prof. Field Crops and W. B. Gilbert, Ass't, Prof. Field Crops Department of Field Crops N. C. State College Raleigh, N. C.

2 THE INFLUENCE OF DRAINAGE ON THE GROWTH OF FORAGE PLANTS D. S. Chamblee and WQ B..Gilbert a Report No. FC 11 INTRODUCTION The pasture acreage of the Tidewater area of North Carolina has increased rapidly in recent years. Most soils in the Tidewater area must be drained for best crop production. However. only limited information is available regarding the response of forage crops to various degrees of drainage. In some instances soils have probably been excessively drained artificially in the area for the production of certain forage species. Based on observations, the loss of Ladino clover stands in some fields in the Tidewater area have been attributed to excessive drainage. Tall fescue is the most common pasture grass seeded in the Tidewater area. Orchardgras s is generally considered not to be adapted to poorly drained soil conditions (4) and is not commonly seeded in this region. Good growth of orchardgrass has been observed in the Tidewater area under certain conditions. These conditions need to be more clearly defined since orchardgrass is generally considered superior to tall fescue for dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to more clearly define the limits of adaptation of several of the major forage species to various drainage conditions. a Assoc. Prof. Field Crops and As s lt, Prof. Field Crops, respectively, Dept. of Field Crops ~ No C. State College.

3 2 PROCEDURE The experiment was established in the fall of 1953, on a Bladen silt Ioam at the Tidewater Research Station, Plymouth, N. C. All species were seeded September 18, 1953 except the lespedezas which were seeded in March The annual lespedezas were reseeded each year even though volunteer seedlings were noted. The following 10 seedings in each of four replications under 4 different drainage conditions were made at the indicated rate of seeding pel' acre. Ladino clover (5 lbs) + Orchardgrass (Virginia grown) (15 lbs) Ladino clover (5 lbs) + tall fescue (Ky. 31) (15 lbs) Ladino clover (5 lbs) Orchardgrass (Virginia grown) (20 lbs) Tall fescue (Ky. 31) (20 lbs) Atlantic alfalfa (20 lbs) Oklahoma common alfalfa (20 lbs) B'ig trefoil (Smooth) (8 lbs) Sericea lespedeza (40 lbs) Kobe lespedeza (40 lbs) The four drainage conditions were: No tile, tile at 2' depth, tile at 3' depth, tile at 4' depth. The ten treatments were completely randomized within the 4 replications. This combination of 10 treatments and 4 replications was replicated on each of the 4 drainage conditions. (Figure I) The drainage conditions were not

4 replicated, (see f'igure l) and no test of significance can be made between 3 them. These drain tiles were established 5 years prior to the initiation of this experiment for use in studies with other crops. One line of 4 11 drain tile was placed at 2, 3 or 4 ft depths within the center ef each drainage area with the lines at the different depths being apart. (See Figure 1.) The plots to which individual treatments were seeded were 6'x35', with the long axis running No~th-South (Figure 1). There were 3 1 alleys between each plot and a 5' alley between replications within a drainage pattern. The d r aina.ge pattern test areas were separated by an alley of All alleys were seeded to tall fescue. A large c ana.l was located approximately 400' (Figure 1) from the experiment and surfac e water did not remain on the plots for extended per iods of time. Four tons of dolomitic limestone and 1000 pounds of 2-1 Z-12 plus 60 pounds of agricultural borax per acre were applied at seeding. An annual application of 600 pounds of plus 15 pounds of borax were applied to all species. In addition 200 pounds of elemental nitrogen as Ammonium Nitrate was applied annually to the pure seedings of orchardgrass and tall fescue. One half of this nitrogen was applied in February and one half in August, The plots were haz-vested with a cutter bar power mower 5 times in 1954, 5 times in 1955, 4 times in 1956 and only twice in The Iast harvest in 1957 was June 5. The vegetation was cut from an area 2 feet by 32 feet to a height of 2 inches and the forage was dried at 130 of, and weighed after reaching

5 4 Figure 1. Diagramatic view of drainage experiment. Tidewater Research Station, Plymouth, N. C. r 155' 1 l' lid'.-jl r-l----i----i---*:-;;:;-;;-!------l---.jl_l--.jl-j Rep 1 Tile at 2' Depth Tile at 3' Depth Rep 2 Rep _--J Rep ' I Rep 1 North t Rep 2 * ----_... - Rep 3 Rep 4 Rep 1 Rep 2 * -~ ~-~~~~ ~~~- Rep 3 Rep 4 1«1 I~ IU l~ (~ IS I~ I 1:0 I~ o I 1...:1 I 1 I~- 400'-~')11 I I Tile at 4' Depth Rep , Rep 3 Rep 4 87' ~I Rep 2 * I I 1 I I I 1 1 I I I I I I )'.c Note: Dotted line represents location of 4'.~ drainage. tile. Rep 1 in No tile blocks above typifies arrangement of plots. Individual plots were 6'x25 with 3' alley between plots and 5' alley between replications.

6 5 equilibrium with a dry atmosphere. Samples from each plot at each harvest were separated into the various species found in order to determine the proportion of.ie gurne, grass, or weeds. The data were subjected to an analysis of variance, and least significant difference (Lo So D. ) values are presented at the 50/0 probability levels.. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Tall fescue and orchardgrass The tall fescue-iadino clover and orchardgrq.ss-iadino clover mixtures yielded similarly when grown on soil with tile placed at 3 and 4 foot depths. The tall fescue-iadino clover mixture produced about 1000 pounds more dry forage per acre than the orchardgrass-ladino clover on the no tpe plots, and also slightly more forage where tile was placed at the 2' depth (tables 1 and 2). These differences noted above were largely due to the fact that tall fescue performed better than orchardgras s in mixtu.re with Ladino clover under poor drainage conditions (tables 3 arid 4). The average yield of tall fescue in the mixture plots with no tile was 1886 while orchardgrass was 971 pounds per acre. Tall fescue was more productive than orchardgrass on the 2' and 4' tiled areas, whereas the two species yielded the same on the 3' tiled areas. In the no tile area, tall fescue in pure stand yielded only slightly more than orchardgrass, the differences not being significant. A partial explanation of why a larger difference was not obtained lies in the fact that two replications of orchardgrass in the No tile area were on a slight ridge of soil. Changes of

7 Table 1. Total yield of various forages as influenced by drainage conditions 6 Pounds dry matter per acre * Ave. No.Tile Ladino + Orcharclgrass Ladino + tall fescue Ladino Orchardgras s Tall Fescue Atlantic Alfalfa Okla. Common Alfalfa Big trefoil Sericea Lespede~a Kobe Lespedeza L. S. D.. 05 Between: treatments C.V Tile at 2 I depth Ladino + Or-cha r dgr a s s Ladino + tall fescue Ladino Orchardgrass Tall Fescue Z 4882 Atlantic Alfalfa Okla. Common Alfalfa ~ Big trefoil Sericea LespedeZa Kobe Lespedeza L. S. D.. 05 Between: treatments c. v * No further harvests were made after June 5, YieId values do not include weed weights.

8 Table 2. Continued (total yield of various forages as influenced by drainage conditions) 7 Pounds dry matter per acre * Ave. Tile at 3' depth Ladino + Orchardgrass Ladino + tall fes cue Ladino Orchardgrass Tall fescue Atlantic Alfalfa Okla. Common Alfalfa Big trefoil Sericea Lespedeza Kobe Lespedeza L. S. D. 05 Between: treatments c. v Tile at 4' depth Ladino + Orchardgrass Ladino + tall fes cue Ladino Orchardgrass Tall fescue Atlantic Alfalfa Okla. Common Alfalfa Big trefoil Sericea Lespedeza Kobe Lespedeza L. S. D. 05 Between: treatments year x t r e at, 539 c. v ~.cno harvests were made after June 5, Yield values do not include weed weights.

9 8 Table 3. Yi~ld of orc~ardgrass and tall fescue grown in Ladino-grass rmxture as lnfluenced by drainage conditions Pounds per acre of dry matter Gras s Component Mixture Ave. No tile Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L. S. D. (. 05) 487 N. S c. v Tile at 2' depth Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L.S. D. (.05 ) N. S. N. S. N. S. N.S. N. S. c. v Tile at 3' depth Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L. S. D. (.05 ) N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. c. V Tile at 4' depth Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L. S. D. (. 05) N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. c. V

10 9 Table 4.!ield of Ladinoclover grown in Ladino-grass mixture. i.nfl.uericed by.drainage conditions Pounds per acre of dry matter Legume Component as Mixture Ave. No tile Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L. s. D. (. 05) N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. c. v Tile at 2' depth Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L. S. D. (. 05) N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. N. S. c. v Tile at 3 I depth Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L.S. D. (. 05) N. S. N.S. N. S. N. S. N.S. c. v Tile at 4' depth Ladino-orchardgrass Ladino-tall fescue L. S. D. (. 05) N. S. N.S. N.S. N.S. N. S. C. v

11 10 Table 5. Seasonal distribution of rainfall at the Tidewater Research Station. Plymouth, N. Co Jan Feb Mar April May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec Total

12 11 only 3 to 4 inches in relief within the test area may have caused large differences in the performance of the same species on different replications. In the third year after seeding the orchardgrass stand in the No tile area was greatly weakened in the mixture plots as evidenced by the yield in table 3 as well as by observation of stand. Severe loss of stand of orchardgrass grown in pure stand was also noted in two of the replications which were slightly lower in relief in the No tile drainage. Ladino clover Certain general observations were noted in the performance of Ladino clover between drainage areas. Ladino clover maintained a fairly good stand on all drainage patterns. No differences were noted in general vigor or color of Ladino between drainage patterns. Ladino in pure stand produced low yields due to heavy infestation by crabgrass and several Paspalum species. Yields of Ladino clover were essentially the same under all drainage conditions both in mixture (table 4) and in pure stand, tables 1 and 2. There was no strong evidence that any of the areas in this experiment were excessively drained for the production of Ladino clover, however, the results indicate that tile draining was unnecessary for good production of Ladino on this site. Studies (2) conducted in the greenhouse have also shown that Ladino clover is less affected than orchardgrass or tall fescue by high water tables. Ladino yielded essentially the same under water tables of 6,12 and

13 12 20 inches where I" of water was applied on the surface weekly, whereas the grasses were reduced in yield at the 6" water table compared to the 12 or 20 inch. Alfalfa Alfalfa was seemingly not adapted on any of the drainage patterns. Alfalfa disappeared by the end of the second year (table 2) on the No tile plots; however, it became established and persisted 4 years on the other drainage areas. Relatively low yields were obtained and stands thinned considerably on the 2' tile plots. Atlantic alfalfa yielded slightly more than Okl.ahorria, common alfalfa on the 3 1 tile area, whereas similar yields were obtained by the two varieties on other drainage patterns. Alfalfa has been observed growing successfully in the 'I'Idewate z area on afew fields where frequent drainage canals are present, and on a clfferent soil type. Further research is needed to determine the possibility of growing alfalfa in the Tidewater region. Big Trefoil Poor stands of big trefoil (500/0) were obtained in the No tile area. Stands of approximately 800/0 were obtained on the other drainage patterns. Very low yields of big trefoil were obtained under all drainage conditions. Big trefoil ordinarily produces lower yields in this area than Ladino clover, and trefoil was less productive than usual in this test (1). Big trefoil is grown in Oregon on very wet land where flooding conditions prevail

14 13 during the winter months only (3). In the Tidewater area of North Carolina flooding occurs in the summer as well as in the winter. Big trefoil is damaged considerably by these summer floodings of short duration (1 to 2 days). Lespedeza Sericea lespedeza performed well on all drainage patterns the first year after establishment (1955). However. yields dropped sharply between 1955, which was a wet year, table 5, and 1956 on the No tile area (tables 1 and 2). Sericea was less erratic in its performance on the 3' and 4' tile areas. The plants appeared healthy and the good yields were obtained on the better drained plots. Sericea showed a wide adaptab1.lity under the different moisture conditions. The low yields noted in 1957 are due to the fact that sericea had just initiated growth at the time harvests were discontinued in June. Kobe lespedeza thrived well under all drainage patterns, but contained less weeds on the tile drained plots. SUMMAR' AND-CONCLUSIONS A study was made at the Tidewater Research Station, Plymouth, N. C. on the influence of four drainage conditions (No tile, and 4" tile placed at 2', 3 rand 4' depths) on the production of 10 forage combinations. 1. Orchardgrass produced yields equal to tall fescue where tile drains were placed at 3' depths. Where tile drainage was not provided, tall fescue proved better adapted and superior to orchardgrass. The results obtained in this study suggest that orchardgrass could be utilized much more widely in the Tidewater area than at present. Where

15 sufficient canals and tile drainage is provided, orchardgrass should persist for at least 5 or 6 years The pure Ladino clover seeding and Ladino-tall fescue mixture proved well adapted to the wetter conditions encountered on the No tile and 2' tile areas. Ladino clover appeared well adapted under all drainage conditions studied varying from No tile to tile placed at 4' tile depths. 3. Alfalfa did not thrive under any of the tile systems, however, stands persisted on the 3 and 4' tile plots. Oklahoma common persisted equally to Atlantic on the wetter sites (No tile and 2' tile). Further studies are needed to determine the limits of alfalfa adaptation in this area. 4. Both Kobe lespedeza and Sericea appeared well adapted in this area to wide ranges in drainage conditions. Less weed problems existed, however, on the tile drained plots. References 1. Annual Report - Forage Management, Volume IV, (unpublished data). Dept. of Field Crops, N. C. State College Gilbert, William B. The effect of soil moisture tensions and water table on growth of 3 forage species. Ph. D. thesis. N.. C. State College Howell, H. B. A legume for acid soils Lotus uliginosuso Oreg. Sta, Bulletin 456. July Hughes, H. D., Heath, Maurice E., Metcalfe, Darrel S. Forages. Iowa State College Press Pg Ames, Iowa.