Nitrate Poisoning of Livestock V839 (Revised February 2020) NDSU EXTENSION North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota Revised by Janna Block Extension Livestock Systems Specialist NDSU Extension – Hettinger Research Extension Center Nitrate poisoning can occur commonly in catle raised in North Dakota and other areas of the western Great Plains. Poisoning usually is associated with animals ingestng forage or feed with high nitrate content, causing nitrite to accumulate. Sheep and catle are more susceptble to poisoning than non-ruminant species because microbes in their digestve tract favor the conversion of nitrate to nitrite. Plant Factors Favoring Nitrate Poisoning Plant Species and Agronomic Factors The majority of nitrate poisoning cases in North Dakota occur with drought-stressed corn and small grains. However, a number of other plants also can accumulate nitrate, including sudangrass, sorghum-sudan hybrids and millet. Table 1 lists common plants known to accumulate nitrate if conditons are favorable. Plants that have been fertlized typically have higher nitrate levels than nonfertlized plants. The abnormal accumulaton of nitrate in plants is infuenced by various factors, such as moisture conditons, soil conditons and type of plant. Plant stressors, such as drought, are associated with increased levels of nitrate in plants. Soils high in nitrogen readily supply nitrate to plants. Additonally, factors such as acidic soils, sulfur or phosphorus defciencies, low molybdenum and low temperatures are known to increase nitrate uptake by plants. Table 1. Common plants known to accumulate nitrate Crops Weeds Barley Canada thistle Corn Dock Flax Jimsonweed Millet Johnson grass Oats Kochia Radishes Lambsquarter Rape Nightshade Rye Pigweed Soybeans Russian thistle Sorghum Smartweed Sudangrass Wild sunfower Sugar beets Sweetclover Turnips Wheat iStock photo