PHOSPHORUS-FERTILIZER FOR NITROGEN-FERTILIZED DAIRY PASTURES .2. LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON MILK-PRODUCTION AND A MODEL OF PHOSPHORUS FLOW

The phosphorus fertilizer requirements and long term productivity of n itrogen-fertilized Gatton panic (Panicum maximum cv. Gatton) pastures, grazed by lactating dairy cows, were evaluated in a 7-year experiment . Cows grazed at 2.6 cows/ha on pastures that received annually 100 or 300 kg N/ha and each of 0, 22.5 or 45 kg P/ha. Cows received no energ y supplements in years 1-3 and were offered molasses at 3.5 kg/day fro m year 4 to year 7. Cows grazed their experimental paddocks from the s tart of the wet season until they started to lose weight in the dry se ason. In years 6 and 7 there was significantly less green pasture and leaf on offer in 300N pastures at 0P than with 22.5P and 45P. This was reflected in a reduced milk yield by cows at 300N/0P in these two yea rs. There was no influence of rate of P fertilizer at 100N on milk yie ld in any year. Lactation milk yields at 300N in years 6 and 7 average d 3930, 4310 and 4610 kg/cow (P < 0.05) for OF, 22.5P and 45P, respect ively. Nitrogen fertilizer increased milk yield in each year (P < 0.01 ) except the first. Milk yields at 100N and 300N averaged 2860 and 332 0 kg/cow respectively in years 1-3 and 3720 and 4290 kg/cow in years 4 -7. The milk yield responses to P fertilizer were related to the great er amounts of pasture and green leaf on offer, which led to a higher p roportion of leaf in the diet, and the response to P fertilizer was de pendent on the rate of N fertilizer applied. Phosphorus intakes were e stimated to be below that of published requirements for cows producing this quantity of milk. An annual model of P flow between plant, anima l and soil pools demonstrated that at 100N/22.5P more P was returned t o the soil as excreta (15.7 kg P/ha) than with 300N/22.5P (7.1 kg P/ha ). The major pathway of return of P to the soil at 300N was through pl ant litter. Soil organic P was the largest, but least exploited, pool of phosphorus. This study has illustrated how the demand for phosphoru s by the plant in grazed pastures is modified by the input of N fertil izer, is poorly predicted from plant analysis and published standards for animal requirements, and indicates that a response in milk product ion may be mediated through the effects of P on leaf growth and not on dietary P content.