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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(12)

Nitrogen balances in temperate perennial grass and clover dairy pastures in south-eastern Australia

R. J. Eckard A B C , D. F. Chapman A and R. E. White A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.

B Department of Primary Industries, 1301 Hazeldean Road, Ellinbank, Vic. 3820, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: rjeckard@unimelb.edu.au

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58(12) 1167-1173 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR07022
Submitted: 23 January 2007  Accepted: 30 July 2007   Published: 17 December 2007

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) fertiliser use on dairy pastures in south-eastern Australia has increased exponentially over the past 15 years. Concurrently, imports of supplementary feed onto dairy farms have increased, adding further nutrients to the system. These trends raise questions about the environmental effects of higher nutrient inputs to dairy farms. To gauge possible effects, annual N balances were calculated from an experiment where N inputs and losses were measured for 3 years from non-irrigated grass/clover pastures receiving either no N fertiliser (Control) or 200 kg N/ha applied annually as ammonium nitrate or urea.

Estimated total N inputs, averaged over the 3 years, were 154, 314, and 321 kg N/ha.year for the control, ammonium nitrate, and urea treatments, respectively, while N outputs in meat and milk were 75, 99, and 103 kg N/ha.year, respectively. The corresponding calculated N surplus was 79, 215, and 218 kg N/ha.year for the 3 treatments, respectively, and the ratio of product N/total-N inputs for the 3 treatments ranged from 50% in the control to 32% for both N treatments. Total N losses averaged 56, 102, and 119 kg N/ha.year, leaving a positive N balance of 23, 112, and 99 kg N/ha.year for the control, ammonium nitrate, and urea treatments, respectively.

The ratio of product N/total-N inputs or the N surplus may be useful in monitoring the efficiency of conversion of N into animal products and the potential environmental effect at a whole-farm scale. However, additional decision support or modelling tools are required to provide information on specific N losses for a given set of conditions and management inputs. Given the large range in N losses there is opportunity for improving N-use efficiency in dairy pastures through a range of management practices and more tactical use of grain and N fertiliser.

Additional keywords: ammonia volatilisation, ammonium nitrate, denitrification, dung, nitrate leaching, urea, urine.


Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the University of Melbourne, the Australian Research Council (grant no. C19804739), the Dairy Research and Development Corporation, Pivot Ltd, and Incitec Ltd for financing the study. In particular the authors thank Paul Durling for technical support.


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