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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 50(10)

Response of Leucaena leucocephala pastures to phosphorus and sulfur application in Queensland

Alejandro Radrizzani A B C , H. Max Shelton A B D and Scott A. Dalzell A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.

B School of Animal Studies, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.

C Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Jujuy 850, 4200 Santiago del Estero, Argentina.

D Corresponding author. Email: m.shelton@uq.edu.au

Animal Production Science 50(10) 961-975 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN10062
Submitted: 15 April 2010  Accepted: 11 August 2010   Published: 21 October 2010

Abstract

A series of fertiliser trials were conducted on leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata) pastures growing on a range of soil types in south-east and central Queensland. The primary objective was to determine the extent of phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) deficiencies in leucaena-grass pastures established on either virgin soils or previously cropped soils. Two experiments were conducted across nine sites and confirmed that, for many soils in Queensland, leucaena growth was restricted by P and S nutrient deficiencies, which limited plant growth directly and suppressed symbiotic N2 fixation. The major factors contributing to the P and S deficiencies and thus affecting leucaena response were: (i) inherent low soil fertility, (ii) nutrient removal by cropping and grazing, (iii) shallow soils, (iv) soil acidity, and (v) grass competition for available water and nutrients. A secondary treatment, inter-row cultivation, had little effect on leucaena growth but significantly increased grass growth in some soils. In all these experiments, leaf S concentrations and N : S ratios in index tissue were inconsistent indicators of adequacy of S. Similarly, leaf P concentrations were not useful indicators of P deficiency due to inappropriate (drought) leaf sampling conditions experienced in these experiments. The experiments demonstrate that the productivity of leucaena-grass pastures, especially in older leucaena plantations, will be limited by nutrient deficiencies on many soils in Queensland. While leucaena yield was suppressed, no foliar symptoms of nutrient deficiency were observed. Growers need to monitor the nutrient status of their leucaena-grass pastures by leaf tissue analysis using a new sampling protocol. Strategic fertiliser application has the potential to increase rainfall use efficiency by 50% with an expected parallel increase in cattle liveweight gain.

Additional keywords: cultivation, nitrogen fixation, plant nutrient deficiency, rainfall use efficiency.


Acknowledgements

A. Radrizzani received a PhD scholarship from Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria to study in Australia. Utilisation of AgForce Queensland’s Brian Pastures Research Station, trial maintenance by Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries staff, and the assistance of collaborating graziers were greatly appreciated. Dell Greenway and Olena Kravchuk, The University of Queensland, provided statistical analysis advice. This work was sponsored by The Leucaena Network and funded by Meat and Livestock Australia’s Producer Initiated Research and Development program (PIRD.06.Q01).


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