Fertilization in forage spaces

Fertilization is a management practice that influences the agroproductive characteristics of grasslands depending on the species of grass present, ducks for their normal development need elements such as nitrogen, magnesium calcium, phosphorus, potassium among others, to obtain forages of good biological quality. There are a wide variety of organic and synthetic fertilizers that can provide the necessary nutrients, but in the case of synthetic ones, as we have always mentioned, it is recommended not to make indiscriminate use of them, because in the long term they can cause a considerable reduction of the micro biota of the soil.

Therefore, it is essential to establish a pasture fertilization program in agroecosystems because they are one of the management practices that authors such as Eusse (1994), describes as the most productive, yielding good results in less time when there are no other constraints on the soil, the same author states that fertilization increases the quality and quantity of forage biomass, therefore increasing production per hectare.

For his part, León (2003), explains that in forage areas intended for grazing, a large part of the nutritional elements consumed by ruminants return to the soil through manure and urine, it is estimated that there is an approximate recycling of 80% of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium consumed, this situation can change when the grass is destined for cutting and hauling, since there are no animals in the paddocks that can recycle part of the nutrients absorbed by the plant and therefore the soil will be unable to supply the necessary nutritional elements to meet the demand of the crop, so it becomes necessary to apply more fertilizers to maintain the productivity of the crop.

Another reason why more fertilizers are applied on the surfaces intended for cutting and hauling, is due to the excessive accumulation of leaves that could result in a high content of organic carbon, a situation that does not favor soil microorganisms since they feed on nitrogen to decompose the organic material, such an eventuality incites microorganisms to take the soil nitrogen that does not get in the waste due to excess leaves (carbon), this process is known as nitrogen immobilization, since a competition for nitrogen is created between microorganisms and the forage crop, it is therefore recommended to fertilize with nitrogen elements to generate a balance of the nitrogen element in the grassland ecosystem.

For all the above reasons, it is necessary to make it clear that before planning a fertilization program, you must have enough information about the contents of organic matter and essential elements present in the soil, in addition to diagnosing the type of management to which the pasture is subjected, so that a balanced use of fertilizers within the forage ecosystem can be defined.

It should be noted that after the diagnosis, the type of fertilizer to be used is chosen, whether of Organic or inorganic origin, although researchers such as Del Pozo, Herrera, García, Cruz and Romero (2001), point out that the immediate effect of inorganic fertilizers guarantees an increase in the yield of the pasture, although their indiscriminate use may cause a reduction of the microorganisms present in the soil, for this reason, alternatives known as organic fertilizers have been implemented whose base is usually bovine manure that contains essential nutrients that can be recycled.

Dear readers, it can be evidenced that in the grassland ecosystems where ruminant animals are managed are spaces with a large amount of organic matter of plant and animal origin from the forage remnant and the manure that remains on the surface after the animals leave grazing, it can be said that paddocks are spaces with great potential for soil fertility should only be managed properly by fertilizing and rotating the animals from one space to another so that there is no degradation of the forage crops that guarantee the feeding of ruminants.