Removal of 80% of the leaf material (on a fresh mass basis) of Ehrharta calycina (grass) and Osteospermum sinuatum (Karoo?bush) plants during the flag leaf and flower bud stages respectively resulted in a sharp decline in net CO2 absorption. As new photosynthetic material was produced the total CO2 absorption of the cut plants increased until it eventually exceeded that of the control plants.
Cutting initially caused lower sugar and starch concentrations in all the organs of both species. The cut plants, however, succeeded in reaching approximately the same concentration as the control plants by the end of the experimental period. Due to the fact that the cut plants produced less dry material during the experimental period, there was eventually less available carbohydrates.
As a result of the presence of photosynthetic leaf sheaths, giving the grass plants a comparatively larger remaining photosynthetic surface after cutting, they initially recovered more rapidly than the Karoo?bush.
Journal articles from the Grassland Society of Southern Africa (GSSA) African Journal of Range and Forage Science as well as related articles and reports from throughout the southern African region.