Below-Ground Plant Production in a Perennial Grass Ley (Festuca pratensis Huds.) Assessed with Different Methods

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 657 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.-C. Hansson ◽  
O. Andren
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Festuca Pratensis ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Grass Ley

Herbage mass thresholds rather than plant phenology are a more useful cue for grazing management decisions in the mid-north region of South Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis P. Kahn ◽  
Judi M. Earl ◽  
Millie Nicholls
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Grass ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Plant Phenology ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Basal Cover ◽  
Seasonal Grazing

Research was conducted in the mid-north of South Australia over the period 2000–05 to evaluate the effects of different grazing management cues on composition and production of a grassland. The management cues were based on calendar, plant phenology or herbage mass thresholds using grazing exclusion as a control. There were five grazing treatments: (i) regional practice (RP), where sheep grazed continuously for the period April–December; (ii) autumn rest, where sheep grazing was restricted to June–December; (iii) spring rest, where sheep grazing was restricted to April–August; (iv) high density and short duration (HDSD), where herbage mass thresholds determined when grazing occurred and for what duration; and (v) nil (NIL) grazing by domestic herbivores. Mean annual estimates of herbage mass were highest for NIL and HDSD and inclusion of the estimate of herbage consumption by sheep resulted in greatest primary plant production in HDSD. The contribution of perennial grasses to herbage mass declined with RP and seasonal grazing treatments. Frequency of perennial grasses was unaffected by grazing treatment but the number of perennial grass plants increased over time in RP and seasonal treatments. HDSD allowed maintenance of basal cover whereas bare ground increased with RP and seasonal treatments. Litter accumulated in NIL but this was associated with a decline in perennial basal cover. Seasonal grazing treatments did not provide an advantage over RP and there appeared to be no benefit from including phenology in management decisions. In contrast, HDSD resulted in a stable and productive grassland ecosystem, with stocking rate estimated at 78% greater than other treatments. These features offer a desirable mix for future industry adoption in the mid-north of South Australia.

Seasonal dynamics of production, and nutrient accumulation and cycling by Phragmites asutralis (Cav.) Trin. ex Stuedel in a nutrient-enriched swamp in Inland Australia. I. Whole Plants

1989 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 421 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Hocking
Keyword(s):  
Standing Crop ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Dry Matter Production ◽  
Nutrient Accumulation ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Maximum Minimum

A study was made of the seasonal changes in dry matter production and patterns of nutrient accumulation by Phragmites australis in a nutrient-enriched swamp in inland Australia. The density of live shoots was highest (224 m-2) in October, but the peak standing crop of live shoots (9890 g m-2) occurred in early May. Peak below-ground biomass (21 058 g m-2) occurred in early August. Rhizome biomass constituted 75% of the below-ground biomass, and showed a distinct seasonal pattern. Net annual above-ground primary production (NAAP), estimated by the maximum-minimum method, was 9513 g m-2. Correction for shoot mortality and leaf shedding before, and production after, the maximum standing crop was attained increased NAAP to 12 898 g m-2. Whole plant production estimated by the maximum-minimum method was 9960 g m-2, and the corrected estimate was 14 945 g m-2. A model of dry-matter production indicated that translocation of carbohydrate from rhizomes could have provided 33% of the dry matter of shoots. About 23% of the dry matter of shoots was redistributed to below-ground organs during senescence. Concentrations of N, P, K, S, Cl and Cu declined, but concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, Fe and Mn increased as shoots aged. Concentrations of N, P and Zn in rhizomes reached maxima in winter, and decreased in spring. Rhizomes usually contained the greatest quantity of a nutrient in the whole plant, and roots usually had less than 25% of the total plant content. There were seasonal fluctuations in the quantities of N, P, K, Zn and Cu in rhizomes. Nutrient accumulation by live shoots was underestimated by 22-55% using the maximum-minimum method. Nutrient budgets showed considerable internal cycling of N, P, K, S and Cu from rhizomes to developing shoots in spring, and from senescing shoots to rhizomes during autumn and winter.

scholarly journals Perennial grass ley rotations with annual crops in tropical Africa: A review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Wortmann ◽  
A. Bilgo ◽  
C. K. Kaizzi ◽  
F. Liben ◽  
M. Garba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Grass Ley

scholarly journals Effects of Plant-Soil Feedback on Switchgrass Productivity Related to Microbial Origin

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1860
Author(s):  
James R. Kiniry ◽  
Caroline E. Arthur ◽  
Katherine M. Banick ◽  
Felix B. Fritschi ◽  
Yanqi Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Panicum Virgatum ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Feedback

A great deal of effort has been applied to maximizing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) production for bioenergy by leveraging existing local adaptation to climate and via nutrient management in this perennial grass crop. However, the biotic component of soils can also affect plant production and long-term suitability at a given site. Here, we tested how productivity of four switchgrass cultivars were affected by four microbial sources from the Great Plains. All inoculum soil sources were previously conditioned by a mixture of switchgrass cultivars, allowing us to explicitly address plant-soil feedback effects. Microbial soil inocula were added to a consistent background soil to avoid physicochemical variation across the sources. We found that the soil microbial inoculum source mattered more than cultivar in determining switchgrass biomass. The addition of microbes resulted in smaller plants, with the largest plants found on control soils with no inoculum, but some inocula were less negative than others. There was no geographic matching between cultivars and soil microbial inoculum, suggesting little local adaptation to the biotic component of soils. In addition, measurements of fungal root colonization suggest that fungi are not responsible for the observed patterns. Based on these results, we suggest that switchgrass cultivation could benefit from considering effects of the soil biota. Additional work is needed to generalize these patterns over time, to a wider geographic area, and to a broader range of cultivars.

Simulated nitrogen dynamics and nitrate leaching in a perennial grass ley

1988 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Bergström ◽  
Holger Johnsson
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Nitrogen Dynamics ◽  
Grass Ley

scholarly journals Nitrogen and phosphorus losses in surface runoff and drainage water after application of slurry and mineral fertilizer to perennial grass ley

1998 ◽  
Vol 7 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 569-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. TURTOLA ◽  
E. KEMPPAINEN
Keyword(s):  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Mineral Fertilizer ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
First Year ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Total Runoff ◽  
Grass Ley

Losses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from perennial grass ley on a fine sand soil were studied with five treatments: no fertilizer (1), cow slurry applied in autumn (2), winter (3) or spring (4), and mineral fertilizer applied in spring (5). For N, the total amounts applied (1992-96) were 0, 772, 807, 805 and 510 kg ha-1 and for P 0, 141, 119, 143 and 107 kg ha-1, respectively. In the first year (establishment of the ley, 1992-93), N losses (drainage + surface runoff) were slightly higher after application of slurry in autumn (with immediate ploughing, treatment 2) than in treatments 1, 4 and 5 (21 kg ha-1 vs. 17 kg ha-1), but the respective P losses (0.7-0.9 kg ha-1) were not affected. During the ley years (1993-96) the N and P losses were increased by surface application of fertilizers and by abundance of surface runoff (83-100% of the total runoff). Nutrient losses were extremely high after slurry application in autumn and winter, accounting for 11% and 33% of the applied N and 17% and 59% of the applied P, respectively. The N losses during the ley years from treatments 1-5 were 13, 62, 191, 23 and 24 kg ha-1, where the proportion of NH4-N was 21, 49, 56, 33 and 39%. The respective P losses were 0.73, 16, 54, 4.2 and 4.0 kg ha-1, where the proportion of PO4-P was 52, 85, 77, 68 and 64%.;

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