The Effect of Dairy Compost on Summer Annual Grasses Grown as Alternative Silages
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2001 American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists SS20 forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), SS10 sorghum-sudan (Sorghum spp. hybrid), SM60 pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), Nutrifeed (Pennisetum spp. hybrid), and CA 737 grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) were grown under irrigation at the Stephenville Research and Extension Center in the spring seasons of 1998 and 1999. Dairy manure compost was incorporated into subplots at 11.2t DM ha1 each yr. The sorghum-sudan and forage sorghum hybrids produced consistently high tonnage both years (P<0.05), while the grain sorghum was among the lowest yields both years. Fiber concentrations were lowest (P<0.05) for the grain sorghum, and in sacco DM disappearance and CP concentrations were consistently highest for both the grain sorghum and the hybrid Pennisetum. The application of compost over two seasons increased soil phosphorus (P) to 2.4 times that of soil without compost and increased average forage P concentration by 32% the second year. Average forage P concentrations were highest (P<0.05) in the millet (0.214% Yr 1 and 0.258% Yr 2, respectively), the hybrid Pennisetum (0.221% Yr 1 and 0.228% Yr 2, respectively) and the grain sorghum (0.193% Yr 1 and 0.199% Yr 2, respectively). Pearl millet had the greatest P uptake from the soil (25.9kg ha1 Yr 1 and 36.2kg ha1 Yr 2, respectively), while forage sorghum had the lowest P uptake from the soil (17.9kg ha1 Yr 1 and 13.4kg ha1 Yr 2, respectively).
