Alquichire Rojas, Shirley

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    Liquid urea, microbial catalyst, mycorrhizae and their benefit on biomass and nutritional value in tropical forages
    (2021-03-17) Alquichire Rojas, Shirley; Valencia Chin, Elide; College of Agricultural Sciences; Bair Gallegos, Daniel; Tirado Corbalá, Rebecca; Department of Crops and Agro-Environmental Sciences; Curbelo Rodríguez, Jaime E.
    During 2019 two experiments were conducted, the first at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Isabela on an Oxisol on well-stablished stands of Megathyrsus maximum Jacq. cultivar Mombasa and the second at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Campus on an Ultisol on field marked PVC pots seeded with signalgrass (Urochloa decumbens cv. Basilisk), Urochloa humidícola cultivars Comun and Llanero. The objective of first the experiment was to assess the effects of Generate® (a microbial catalyst), LiquiFert® (22-0-0) liquid urea (LU) at a rate of 168 kg ha-1 (in split applications), a mixture of LU + Generate and a control on aboveground biomass, root biomass, nutritional value, and soil parameters on cv. Mombasa at 35-d harvests during six harvests. The study was established in a completely randomized design with four replicates. Liquid urea and Generate effects on aboveground and belowground (root) biomass were determined by collecting samples in 1 m2 quadrat to determine yield and chemical composition. Soil samples were collected at 15 cm depth using a soil corer at the 1st and 6th harvest from each plot to assess organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), pH, macronutrients, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The results showed that aboveground biomass doubled using LU (2,369 kg DM ha-1) compared with the control and Generate (1100 kg DM ha-1). Crude protein (CP) was 10.1% and CP index was 5.30 kg CP kg-1 N using LU. Neutral Detergent fiber was 70 % for the control and 74.2 % and around 40 % for acid detergent fiber (ADF) for any treatment. These values are extremely high when harvested at 35-d regrowth. Overall, there were no significant effects of the treatments on OC and organic matter percentages, P, N, Ca, Mg and CEC. In conclusion, LU is an excellent source of N for Mombasa. The objective of second experiment was to assess the effects of three chemical treatments [soluble P, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) and Generate] and three harvests dates of 8, 10 and 12 weeks after planting (WAP) on aboveground growth and root biomass of signalgrass and U. humidicola cvv. Comun, and Llanero. Chemical treatments effects on aboveground and root biomass were determined by collecting tissue samples using a soil corer at 0-15 cm depth. There was a significant interaction (p<0.05) between grass varieties by chemical treatment (shoot) and main effects for chemical treatments and cultivars. There was no effect (p>0.05) of either chemical treatment or MA on aboveground or root biomass tissue, except for Urochloa differences (p<0.05). Signalgrass, as expected, showed higher aboveground and root biomass in contrast to lower yields of both U. humidicola cvv. Comun, and Llanero. Significant differences (p<0.05) observed at harvest dates are the result of an increase in stages of growth. Under field conditions, chemical treatments of either AM or P may require longer observation periods than 12 weeks after planting.