Themeda triandra tillers were examined microscopically at one to two?weekly intervals to determine where starch was deposited. Large numbers of starch grains were always present but the position of these deposits varied according to growth activity and flowering time of the plant. Starch deposits in the roots were usually within 14 cm of the root/shoot junction and tended to increase when soil moisture became limiting. Replenishment of the soil moisture store usually led to rapid disappearance of starch from most of the root zone and an equally rapid increase in starch deposits in the shoot. Periods during which starch deposits in the roots were minimal occurred in any month from November to April and varied in length from two to eleven weeks.
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.