Range fertilization in the Sierra Nevada foothills

Abstract

Not available – first paragraph follows: Following a year of preliminary experiments, a long-term, field-scale foothill range fertilization study began in 1982 with a series of precise applications to 385 acres of foothill rangeland comprising 12 fields on Forbes Hill at the University of California Sierra Foothill Range Field Station, Browns Valley. Because deficiencies of three major elements — nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur — limit production on soils of the region, we established the study to compare nitrogen alone, phosphorus plus sulfur, and combinations of the three elements. Since results from these treatments could be expected to differ from each other over time (irrespective of level of nutrient applied) it was essential to initiate treatments simultaneously, so that comparisons could be made within the same weather years.