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Effect of changing grazing severity on the composition of perennial ryegrass/white clover swards stocked with beef cattle
Author(s) -
GIBB M. J.,
BAKER R. D.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1989.tb02170.x
Subject(s) - tiller (botany) , stolon , perennial plant , agronomy , grazing , biology , growing season , limiting , population , sociology , engineering , mechanical engineering , demography
During an experiment in which the height of mixed perennial ryegrass/while clover swards was maintained throughout the season at 3 or 7 cm (S and T, respectively), or were maintained al those heights until 30 June then changed (ST and TS), a limited study was made of the effects on the population densities and masses of the two species. During the earlier part of the season the short swards (S and ST) developed higher tiller and stolon growing point (sgp) densities, but with a reduced mass of ryegrass, principally of the pseudostem fraction, than the tail swards (T and TS). Thiere was little effect of sward height on the mass of clover. Whilst there was a general tendency for tiller and sgp densities to increase during the latter part of the season, tiller density increased greatly where sward height was reduced (TS) and both tiller and sgp densities were reduced where sward height was allowed to increase (ST). Changing sward height, whilst limiting the accumulation of dead grass material (TS), allowed grass leaf and dead masses to increase (ST), and adversely affected the increase in the clover component, principally of stolon material, in both ST and TS.