Abstract
In order to determine the influence of nitrogen on agronomic characters, forage yield and quality, a Kenaf was cultured on the volcanic ash soil at the Experimental Farm of Cheju national University under the seven levels of nitrogen rates(0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250kg/ha) from April 25 to Dec. 25, 1999. The plant height increased by increase of nitrogen rate, showing longest 250kg/ha with 286.6cm and shortest at no application plot with 255.7cm. The difference on leaf number, leaf withering number, stem diameter and branches number by nitrogen rate showed a similar tendency to the plant height. Increasing N rate from 0 to 250kg/ha fresh forage yield form 55.8 to 99.8MT/ha, dry matter (DM) yield from 8.8 to 15.8MT/ha, crude protein(CP) yield form 1.2 to 3.1MT/ha, total digestible nutrients (TDN) yield from 3.8 to 8.6MT/ha. However, no significant differences in these yields were found between 200 and 250kg N/ha. Nitrogen uptake increased form 192.9 to 496.2 kg/ha but N use efficiency decreased form 95.0 to 66.6 kg DM$^{a}$ /kg N with increasing from 0 to 250 kg/ha. As N rate increased from 0 to 250kg/ha, leaf and stem out of CP, crude fat (CF), nitrogen free extract (NFE), TDN contents increased from 20.1% to 25.8% and from 9.7% to 12.4%, from 5.6% to 8.1% and from 3.3% to 4.4%, from 36.1% to 40.2% and from 21.9% to 32.4%, from 59.3% to 75.0% and from 32.2% to 38.2%, respectively, while leaf and stem out of crude fiber decreased from 18.5% to 16.7% and from 51.5% to 39.3%. Based on the these findings, the optimum N rate for forage production of kenaf seems to be about 200 kg/ha in atmospheric phenomena and volcanic ash soils of jeju island.
