Effect of nitrogen application rate on yield, forage quality, and animal performance in a tropical pasture

A three-year-long field experiment was conducted in a continuous grazing system with a variable stocking rate to evaluate effects of increasing nitrogen levels in Marandu grass ( Brachiaria brizantha Hochst ex A. Rich Stapf “marandu”) on herbage mass, forage accumulation rate (FAR), forage quality, stocking rate (SR), average daily gain (ADG), gain per hectare (GPH), and gain per kg of applied N. The experimental design was completely randomized with four treatments (control without application of N, and 90, 180, and 270 kg N ha −1 year −1 ) and three replicates (paddocks per treatment); nitrogen was applied in the form of urea. Herbage mass, crude protein (CP), FAR, SR, GPH, and the nitrogen nutrition index increased with increasing nitrogen level (P