Effects of forest fertilization on nitrate and crude protein content in some important reindeer forage species
When forests are fertilized with ammonia nitrate it is possible that grazing reindeer ingest ammonia nitrate by eating grains of fertilizer from the ground or by drinking contaminated water. They can also get nitrate through plants that have absorbed and disposed nitrate. This latter factor is studi...
| Published in: | Rangifer |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Septentrio Academic Publishing
1984
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.7557/2.4.1.491 https://doaj.org/article/33c0a69c19a145b78d90d945aff2d096 |
| Summary: | When forests are fertilized with ammonia nitrate it is possible that grazing reindeer ingest ammonia nitrate by eating grains of fertilizer from the ground or by drinking contaminated water. They can also get nitrate through plants that have absorbed and disposed nitrate. This latter factor is studied in this report. In addition the effect of fertilization on crude protein content in forage plants is investigated. Fertilizing trials were done within two different areas. One was a dry scotch pine forest and the other a humid scotch pine forest. Both were situated 10 to 15 km north west of Lycksele (northern Sweden). Three different rations (75, 150 and 250 kg N/ha) of ammonianitrate and one (150 kg N/ha) of urea was used. Fertilization was done at two occations, in June and in July. To investigate the effect of fertilization on nitrate and crude protein content in reindeer forage plants, samples were taken of reindeer lichens (Cladina spp.), heather {Calluna vulgaris), crowberry (Empetrum spp.), cowberry (Vaccinium vitis ideae), blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) at different times after fertilization. In this trial we could not find any higher degree of contamination of nitrate in lichens. The highest value was 0.013% nitrate-N in dry matter (table 1). Nitrate accumulation was low in shrubs and grass (table 2). The highest value (0.05%) was found in heather. The concentrations were definitly below the level that could be considered as injurious to the reindeer. The effect of fertilization on crude protein content in reindeer forage plants was obvious. It was most evident in hair-grass. Four weeks after fertilization with 150 kg N/ha, crude protein content was more than doubled and reached 20% in dry matter (figure 1 and 2). In withered hair-grass in the autumn the effect was very small. One year after fertilization a small rise in crude protein was registered in both grass and shrubs (table 3). Some effect still remained after three years. Fertilization caused a drastic ... |
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