The seasonal growth of pasture grasses

Abstract

1. Twenty-one varieties of pasture grasses, including ten bred varieties, were grown on fertile soil for 3 years. Figures are presented of the rate of production of herbage cut every 3or4 weeks. Plots were cut in staggered sequence to permit growth intervals to overlap and to allow frequent assessments of the rate of production.

Evaluation of calcium ammonium nitrate and urea-based fertilisers applied to grassland in Ireland

“…From approximately early June responses started to decline in line with the overall decline in radiation. The peak in the responses observed at cut one for T15 matched well the expected rate of grass growth around this time described by Anslow and Green (1967); thus, the enhanced responses encountered. A similar effect was observed at cut two for the application conducted at T13 which responded to the proportionally higher rates of growth expected after the middle of July when the first harvest took place.…”

“…The relatively higher responses encountered in the second cut for applications conducted between T1 and T4 were due to residual fertiliser N which resulted from the combined effect of low temperatures and reduced N uptake earlier in the spring, and the characteristic pattern of the seasonal rate of growth of grass (Anslow and Green, 1967). The opposite effect was observed for applications conducted after T5; especially, between T8 and T13 when responses were higher than about 15 kg DM kg -1 N. …”

“…For perennial ryegrass, this is characterised by a peak in May followed by a decline in June, and a second but smaller peak in July (Anslow and Green, 1967). The applications conducted between early April and late May showed proportionally higher responses at cut one suggesting that fertiliser-N was primarily taken up within the first four weeks from application.…”

“…It is possible however that, given favourable soil moisture conditions and temperature, the rate of hydrolysis and therefore the rate of N uptake had occurred rapidly in urea-and nBTPT-fertilised grass. This combined with typically high rates of accumulation of DM in this part of the season (Anslow and Green, 1967) resulted in higher performances relative to CAN. Based on the c.v. (%) for the data corresponding to DMY and N uptake, it is not possible to indicate that urea or nBTPT are more variable N sources than CAN which agrees with Watson et al (1990).…”

Seed production of two meadow fescue cultivars differing in growth habit

“…This could be due to higher number of vegetative tillers of Fure. Kalevi produced more generative tillers (Table 2), which are known to increase dry weight quickly between the period from induction to beginning of flowering (Anslow and Green 1967). In both cultivars the stems constituted approximately 48% of the plant dry weight and the panicles 19−23% (Fig.…”