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Tillering Differences after Close Clipping in Russian Wildrye and Tall Fescue 1
Author(s) -
Laude H. M.,
Fox R. E.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1982.0011183x002200050019x
Subject(s) - tiller (botany) , clipping (morphology) , biology , festuca arundinacea , elymus , shoot , agronomy , poaceae , philosophy , linguistics
Tillering after clipping plants at heights of 0.5, 2.5, and 5.0 cm, or leaving them uncut was compared in ‘Fawn’ tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and ‘Vinall’ Russian wildrye ( Elymus junceus Fisch.). The plants were vegetative when cut and depending on age had produced an average of 3.6 to 9.1 shoots. With progressively lower clipping heights tillering was stimulated in the Russian wildrye and depressed in tall rescue. Forty‐eight hours after clipping Russian wildrye at 0.5 cm, more than 70% of the plants had increased in number of elongating shoots, while less than 30% of uncut plants had done so. This rapid acceleration of tillering after clipping at 0.5 cm did not occur following clipping at 2.5 cm. These differences were considered in relation to numbers of macroscopic axillary buds visible after leaf sheaths were carefully stripped from the stems. The number of tiller buds and young shoots concealed by leaf sheaths was three times greater in Russian wildrye than in tall rescue, and this may be associated with the rapid tillering response noted. No explanation is known for the difference in response to cutting heights of 0.5 and 2.5 cm.