Forage yield and botanical composition of a hill sown meadow fertilized with dried pelletized broiler litter.

A field experiment was established to study the effects of applying a dried pelletized broiler litter (BIOF) as fertilizer on forage production and botanical composition in a sown meadow located in a mountain area with stands of Quercus robur. Three fertilization managements were compared: (i) NPK fertilizer+cattle slurry application, (ii) 1000 kg/ha BIOF, and (iii) 2000 kg/ha BIOF. At the first cut, no significant differences were found either in dry matter forage production or botanical composition among treatments. However, when pasture was grazed in July, forage production was twice as high in plots fertilized with the highest dose of BIOF with respect to the other two treatments. A significant increase of white clover in forage was observed in the July grazing as a result of BIOF application, particularly when 2000 kg/ha were applied.