Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tillering dynamics in palisadegrass swards continuously stocked by cattle

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Plant communities on pastures adapt to varying frequencies and severities of defoliation through mechanisms capable of ensuring their longevity and photosynthetic efficiency. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate tiller population density, demographic patterns of tillering and population stability of palisadegrass swards subjected to four grazing intensities. Treatments corresponded to four sward steady state conditions (sward heights of 10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) generated by continuous stocking. Measurements of tiller population density and population dynamics were performed at 4 week intervals and the results were used to calculate tiller appearance, death and survival rates. Tiller appearance and death rate were used to calculate sward stability index. The results indicate that keeping swards low (10 cm or lower) may be prejudicial to persistency and productivity of palisadegrass. The results also indicate that a low tiller population alone should not be considered as an indicator of loss of productive potential and of reduced plant persistency, since swards may be stable even with low population of tillers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Badila P, Lauzac M, Paulet P (1985) The characteristics of light in floral induction in vitro of Cichorium intybus. The possible role of phytochrome. Physiol Plant 65:305–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bahmani I, Thom ER, Matthew C, Hooper RJ, Lemaire G (2003) Tiller dynamics of perennial ryegrass cultivars derived from different New Zealand ecotypes: effects of cultivar, season, nitrogen fertiliser, and irrigation. Aust J Agric Res 54:803–817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes C, Bugbee B (1992) Morphological responses of wheat to blue light. J Plant Physiol 139:339–342

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bircham JS, Hodgson J (1983) The influence of sward condition on rates of herbage growth and senescence in mixed swards under continuous stocking management. Grass Forage Sci 38:323–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briske DD (1991) Developmental morphology and physiology of grasses. In: Heitschmidt RK, Stuth JW (eds) Grazing management: an ecological perspective. Timber Press, Portland, pp 85–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Carnevalli RA, Da Silva SC (1999) Avaliação de algumas características agronômicas e ecológicas de plantas da espécie Cynodon dactylon cv. Coastcross para fins de validação de técnicas para ensaios de pastejo com plantas forrageiras. Sci Agric 56:489–499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho CAB, Da Silva SC, Sbrissia AF, Pinto LFM, Carnevalli RA, Fagundes JL, Pedreira CGS (2001) Demografia do perfilhamento e acúmulo de matéria seca em coastcross submetido a pastejo. Pesqui Agropecu Bras 36:567–575

    Google Scholar 

  • Casal JJ, Deregibus VA, Sanchez RA (1985) Variations in tiller dynamics and morphology in Lolium multiflorum Lam vegetative and reproductive plants as affected by differences in red far-red irradiation. Ann Bot 56:553–559

    Google Scholar 

  • Deregibus VA, Sanchez RA, Casal JJ (1983) Effects of light quality on tiller production in Lolium spp. Plant Physiol 72:900–902

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deregibus VA, Sanchez RA, Casal JJ, Trlica MJ (1985) Tillering responses to enrichment of red-light beneath the canopy in a humid natural grassland. J Appl Ecol 22:199–206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagundes JL, Da Silva SC, Pedreira CGS, Sbrissia AF, Carnevalli RA, Carvalho CAB, Pinto LFM (2001) Índice de área foliar, coeficiente de extinção luminosa e acúmulo de forragem em pastagens de Cynodon spp. sob lotação contínua. Pesqui Agropecu Bras 36:187–195

    Google Scholar 

  • Gautier H, Varlet-Grancher C, Hazard L (1999) Tillering responses to the light environment and to defoliation in populations of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) selected for contrasting leaf length. Ann Bot 83:423–429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant SA, Barthram GT, Torvell L, King J, Smith HK (1983) Sward management, lamina turnover and tiller population-density in continuously stocked Lolium-perenne-dominated swards. Grass Forage Sci 38:333–344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernández-Garay A, Matthew C, Hodgson J (1999) Tiller size-density compensation in ryegrass miniature swards subject to differing defoliation heights and a proposed productivity index. Grass Forage Sci 54:347–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirata M, Pakiding W (2001) Tiller dynamics in a bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) pasture under cattle grazing. Trop Grasslands 35:151–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Korte CJ, Watkin BR, Harris W (1984) Effects of the timing and intensity of spring grazings on reproductive development, tillering, and herbage production of perennial ryegrass dominant pasture. New Zeal J Agr Res 27:135–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Langer RHM (1958) Changes in the tiller population of grass swards. Nature 182:1817–1818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemaire G, Chapman D (1996) Tissue flows in grazed plant communities. In: Hodgson J, Illius AW (eds) The ecology and management of grazing systems. CAB International, London, pp 3–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie PH (1945) On the use of matrices in certain population mathematics. Biometrika 33:183–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Littel RC, Henry PR, Ammerman CB (1998) Statistical analysis of repeated measures data using SAS procedures. J Anim Sci 76:1216–1231

    Google Scholar 

  • Lonsdale WM, Watkinson AR (1982) Light and self-thinning. New Phytol 90:431–445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall C (1987) Physiological aspects of pasture growth. In: Snaydon RW (ed) Managed Grasslands. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 29–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthew C, Lemaire G, Sackville-Hamilton NR, Hernandez-Garay A (1995) A modified self-thinning equation to describe size/density relationships for defoliated swards. Ann Bot 76:579–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthew C, Assuero SG, Black CK, Sackville-Hamilton NR (2000) Tiller dynamics of grazed swards. In: Lemaire G, Hodgson J, Moraes A, Carvalho PCF, Nabinger C (eds) Grassland ecophysiology and grazing ecology. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, pp 127–150

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Myers RL, Brun WA, Brenner ML (1987) Effect of raceme-localized supplemental light on soybean reproductive abscission. Crop Sci 27:273–277

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson CJ (2000) Shoot morphological plasticity of grasses: leaf growth vs. tillering. In: Lemaire G, Hodgson J, Moraes A, Carvalho PCF, Nabinger C (eds) Grassland ecophysiology and grazind ecology. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, pp 101–126

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Novoplansky A, Sachs T, Cohen D, Bar R, Bodenheimer J, Reisfeld R (1990) Increasing plant productivity by changing the solar spectrum. Sol Energy Mater 21:17–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raij B, Quaggio JA, Silva NM (1986) Extraction of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium from soils by ion-exchange resin procedure. Commun Soil Sci Plan 17:547–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sackville-Hamilton NR, Matthew C, Lemaire G (1995) In defence of the -3/2 boundary rule: a re-evaluation of self thinning concepts and status. Ann Bot 76:569–577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sbrissia AF (2004) Morfogênese, dinâmica do perfilhamento e do acúmulo de forragem em pastos de capim-Marandu sob lotação contínua. PhD Thesis, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil

  • Sbrissia AF, Da Silva SC (2008) Compensação tamanho/densidade populacional de perfilhos em pastos de capim-marandu. Rev Bras Zootecn 37:35–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Sbrissia AF, Da Silva SC, Carvalho CAB, Carnevalli RA, Pinto LFM, Fagundes JL, Pedreira CGS (2001) Tiller size/population density compensation in coastcross grazed swards. Sci Agric 58:655–665

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sbrissia AF, Da Silva SC, Matthew C, Carvalho CAB, Carnevalli RA, Pinto LFM, Fagundes JL, Pedreira CGS (2003) Tiller size/density compensation in grazed Tifton 85 bermudagrass swards. Pesqui Agropecu Bras 38:1459–1468

    Google Scholar 

  • Skalova H, Krahulec F (1992) The response of 3 Festuca rubra clones to changes in light quality and plant-density. Funct Ecol 6:282–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skalova H, Krahulec F, During HJ, Hadincova V, Pechackova S, Herben T (1999) Grassland canopy composition and spatial heterogeneity in the light quality. Plant Ecol 143:129–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner RH, Nelson CJ (1992) Estimation of potential tiller production and site usage during tall fescue canopy development. Ann Bot 70:493–499

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornthwaite CW, Mather JR (1955) The water balance. Centerton, Laboratory of Climatology, Drexel Institute of Technology (Publications in Climatology, vol VIII, n.1)

  • Valentine I, Matthew C (1999) Plant growth, development and yield. In: White J, Hodgson J (eds) New Zealand—pasture and crop science. Cambridge University Press, Oxford, pp 11–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Wan CG, Sosebee RE (1998) Tillering responses to red:far-red light ratio during different phenological stages in eragrostis curvula. Environ Exp Bot 40:247–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfinger RD (1993) Covariance structure selection in general mixed models. Commun Stat Simulat 22:1079–1106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang JZ, Matthew C, Rowland RE (1998) Tiller axis observations for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea): number of active phytomers, probability of tiller appearance, and frequency of root appearance per phytomer for three cutting heights. New Zeal J Agr Res 41:11–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Zarrough KM, Nelson CJ, Sleper DA (1984) Interrelatonships between rates of appearance and tillering in selected tall fescue populations. Crop Sci 24:565–569

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Fapesp (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Produção Animal e Alimentos, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Av. Luiz de Camões, Lages, 2090, Brazil

    André F. Sbrissia

  2. Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, Brazil

    Sila C. Da Silva, Daniel O. L. Sarmento, Leonardo K. Molan, Alexandre C. Gonçalves & Adriano V. Lupinacci

  3. Instituto de Zootecnia, Nova Odessa, Brazil

    Flávia M. E. Andrade

Authors
  1. André F. Sbrissia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sila C. Da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Daniel O. L. Sarmento
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Leonardo K. Molan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Flávia M. E. Andrade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Alexandre C. Gonçalves
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Adriano V. Lupinacci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to André F. Sbrissia.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sbrissia, A.F., Da Silva, S.C., Sarmento, D.O.L. et al. Tillering dynamics in palisadegrass swards continuously stocked by cattle. Plant Ecol 206, 349–359 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-009-9647-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-009-9647-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation