Rangeland Ecology & Management

Get reliable science

Defoliation effects on herbage production and root growth of wet meadow forage species
Author
Volesky, J. D., W. H. Schacht, A. E. Koehler, E. Blankenship, P. E. Reece
Publication Year
1969
Body

The effects of defoliation intensity and frequency on aboveground production and root production of three species (slender wheatgrass, Nebraska sedge and �Steadfast� birdsfoot trefoil) were examined in highly controlled field study at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory (42� 04� N; 101� 26� W) 11 km north of Whitman, Nebraska. Forty-eight 48 containers of each species were transplanted in containers one meter apart in a 6 X 8 grid. One of six defoliation treatments (control, 2 clippings/low-intensity, 2 clippings/high-intensity, 5 clippings/low-intensity, 5 clippings/high-intensity and haying) was applied to each container. Total above ground production was collected and plant material was hand washed for root analysis.

Language
en
Keywords
birdsfoot trefoil
root length
slender wheatgrass
defoliation frequency
defoliation intensity
herbage production
Nebraska sedge
root distribution
root surface area root weight
Wet Meadow
  • Citations and enhanced abstracts for journals articles and documents focused on rangeland ecology and management. RSIS is a collaboration between Montana State University, University of Idaho, and University of Wyoming.