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Effects of mixing forage species contrasting in vertical and temporal nutrient capture on nutrient yields and fertilizer recovery in productive grasslands

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Abstract

Background and aims

Mixing grasses with N2-fixing legumes benefits grassland yields. We examined if grass/forb/legume mixtures combining species with complementary vertical and temporal nutrient capture further promote nutrient yields and improve fertilizer N recovery.

Methods

Four species differing in N2-fixing ability and in vertical and temporal nutrient capture were grown in monoculture and two- and four-species mixtures. 15N was used to examine vertical complementarity in nutrient capture and fertilizer N recovery. Asynchrony was quantified from the N yield distribution over the year.

Results

The positive mixture effects on N and P yields (P < 0.001) between species contrasting in vertical and temporal nutrient capture (with same N2-fixing ability) were of a similar magnitude (+45 kg N) as those between N2-fixing and non-fixing species with shallow roots (+52 kg N). Mixture benefits were maximized up to +99 kg N when constituent species differed in N2-fixing ability and vertical and temporal nutrient capture. Species modified their vertical N capture when grown in mixture (niche shift). Remarkably, mixing Trifolium pratense and Cichorium intybus, which were similar in both vertical and temporal nutrient capture, generated negative mixture effects. The 4-species mixture captured as much fertilizer N as the grass monoculture, despite significant abundance of legumes.

Conclusions

Combining species differing in multiple characteristics for nutrient capture optimizes nutrient capture of non-legume/legume-mixtures.

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Acknowledgements

The research leading to these results received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/ 2007-2013) under the grant agreement FP7-244983 (MULTISWARD). NH was funded by the Irish Research Council, co-funded by Marie Curie Actions under FP7.

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Author notes

  1. N. J. Hoekstra

    Present address: Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135s, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agroscope, Forage Production and Grassland Systems, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zürich, Switzerland

    S. Husse, A. Lüscher, N. J. Hoekstra & O. Huguenin-Elie

  2. Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland

    S. Husse & N. Buchmann

  3. Louis Bolk Institute, Hoofdstraat 24, 3972 LA, Driebergen, The Netherlands

    N. J. Hoekstra

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  1. S. Husse
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  2. A. Lüscher
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Correspondence to O. Huguenin-Elie.

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Responsible Editor: Honghua He.

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Husse, S., Lüscher, A., Buchmann, N. et al. Effects of mixing forage species contrasting in vertical and temporal nutrient capture on nutrient yields and fertilizer recovery in productive grasslands. Plant Soil 420, 505–521 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3372-0

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