Seedlings of Pathfinder, Nebr. 28, and experimental ey switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) strains were grown in a growth chamber and harvested 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks following emergence for detection of seedling growth differences among strains. Leaf areas and dry weights of leaf blade and stem axis (stem and leaf sheath) generally increased significantly with each harvest from 4 to 10 weeks. Stem axis and leaf blade dry weights were significantly greater with Pathfinder and ey, respectively, than with Nebr. 28. Final leaf area was significantly greater with ey than with the other strains. Thus, Nebr. 28 (early-maturing) would be less competitive with weeds during establishment than Pathfinder or ey (both are late-maturing). Relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), and leaf area ratio (LAR) were similar for all strains, although at the first harvest Nebr. 28 had a lower LAR than the other two strains. RGR, NAR, and LAR generally declined with each successive harvest. The strains appeared to have the same capacity to produce above ground biomass but photosynthate partitioning differed as indicated by leaf and stem comparisons. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.