Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research
Title: Benefits of legumes in pastures beyond nitrogen fertilizationAuthor
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Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 1/11/2023 Publication Date: 1/11/2023 Citation: Jaramillo, D.M. 2023. Benefits of legumes in pastures beyond nitrogen fertilization. Meeting Proceedings. 2023 Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic, Madison, WI. Jan. 11, 2023. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Nutrient cycling is a vital process for sustaining the productivity of pasture systems. Nitrogen plays a critical role in soil carbon sequestration, therefore increasing nitrogen cycling in grazing systems will lead to improvements in soil carbon accumulation. Incorporating forage legumes is an alternative to nitrogen fertilizer application, since forage legumes can associate with soil microbes to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The benefits of legume inclusion in grazing systems go beyond biological nitrogen fixation. Other important benefits include the provision of pollinator habitat and altering soil microbial composition, which contribute to enhancing delivery of ecosystem services in grazing systems. These novel aspects indicate legume inclusion in grazing systems can be a win-win practice for reducing off-farm inputs, but also for improving delivery of ecosystem services obtained from pastures. |
