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Accessibility and availability of individual leaves on a tiller in bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum Flügge) swards: Effects of nitrogen fertilizer and defoliation intensity
Author(s) -
Hirata Masahiko,
Sugino Ayumi,
Ogura Shinichiro
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
grassland science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.388
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1744-697X
pISSN - 1744-6961
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-697x.2009.00152.x
Subject(s) - paspalum notatum , tiller (botany) , agronomy , canopy , dry matter , growing season , biology , botany
Canopy structure of bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum Flügge) swards was analyzed in terms of accessibility and availability of individual leaves on a tiller. Tillers in swards under three nitrogen rates (0, 12 and 24 g m −2 year −1 ) × two cutting heights (3 and 10 cm above ground level) were measured in May (spring), July (summer) and October (autumn), for the heights of the basal and the highest point and the dry matter (DM) weights of individual leaves (laminae; L1, L2, L3 and so on; L1 = the uppermost or the youngest lamina) and a stem (inclusive of leaf sheaths). The tillers were relatively short in May and October and tall in July, having 10, six and seven leaves, respectively. The leaves were almost always green (no dry part) until L5 in May and until L4 in July and October. In each season, the relative accessibility (height rank of the maximum point) and availability (weight rank) of the leaves on the tiller was almost constant across the nitrogen rates and cutting heights, showing L1–L4 to be highly accessible and L3–L5 and L2 or L6 to be highly available (top four leaves). L3 was almost always the most accessible and available leaf across the seasons and the treatments, followed by L4 and L2. The results indicate the usefulness of the constant relative accessibility and availability of individual leaves on the tiller in the management and modeling of bahiagrass swards.