New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Cutting effects on growth characteristics, yield composition, and
population relationships of perennial ryegrass and white clover in
mixed pasture
Yu Ying Wen
Hou Fu Jiang
Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems
Ministry of Agriculture
College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology
Lanzhou University
Lanzhou Gansu Province 730000
PR China
yuyw@lzu.edu.cn
Abstract To research the effects of cutting on
growth characteristics, yield, proportion composition, and the
population relationships of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
and white clover (Trifolium repens) in mixtures, the number of
tillers and leaf growth of perennial ryegrass, number of branches and
stolon growth of white clover, and herbage yields and the proportion of
each component in total yields were measured under different cutting
systems (i.e., simulated grazing) in 1998 and 1999. The results showed
that increased cutting frequency inhibited tillering of ryegrass,
stimulated ryegrass leaf growth and clover branching, reduced death of
ryegrass leaves and clover branches, and maintained proportions of
perennial ryegrass and white clover in the mixed pasture. Cutting
frequency had no significant effects on herbage yields or vegetative
composition (P > 0.05). As the
cutting frequencies decreased, the population relationships of the two
species transformed from mutual promotion to inhibition. Higher cutting
frequencies promoted a positive interaction between ryegrass and
clover. Thus, cutting decreased the inhibitory effects of these two
species on each other.
Keywords cutting; perennial ryegrass; white
clover; growth characteristics; yield; proportion composition
A04002; Received 9 January 2004; accepted 16 May 2005; Online
publication date 8 August 2005
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2005, Vol. 48:
349–358
0028–8233/05/4803–0349 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005
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