UPLAND GRASS PRODUCTION IN NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND IN RELATION TO SOIL AND SITE CONDITIONS

An experiment involving 24 grassland sites was carried out to measure the influence of a large number of variables on upland yields between 900 and 1450 ft above sea level in western Aberdeenshire. The grass was harvested in mid-July and at the end of October 1966. Few factors were significant in the first harvest yields. In the second harvest yields, aspect and soil parent material were both significant at the 1% level, and available soil phosphate at the 5% level. Total yields (DM) for the growing season were correlated with parent material (2% level), with available soil P (1% level) and with the P and K content of the leaf (1% and 5% levels). Yields were also correlated with sward age (5% level) and sward condition (1% level). A number of variables were highly correlated with sward age and condition, including the leaf content (second harvest) of K, P and crude protein (0.1%, 1% and 1% levels).
The highest yield was 4700 kg/ha/year and the average yield 2585 kg/ha/year, but the results showed that the average could be substantially increased by good management, especially by P fertilizer. The results confirmed that there was no marked fall-off in yields with increasing altitude (r=0.066, 0.194 and 0.112) and there appeared scope for reclamation on suitable sites at higher elevations.