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dc.contributor.authorGdara, A. O.
dc.contributor.authorHart, R. H.
dc.contributor.authorDean, J. G.
dc.date.accessioned2020-09-24T02:39:10Z
dc.date.available2020-09-24T02:39:10Z
dc.date.issued1991-01-01
dc.identifier.citationGdara, A. O., Hart, R. H., & Dean, J. G. (1991). Response of tap- and creeping-rooted alfalfas to defoliation patterns. Journal of Range Management, 44(1), 22-26.
dc.identifier.issn0022-409X
dc.identifier.doi10.2307/4002632
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10150/644916
dc.description.abstractUnder grazing, creeping-rooted alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars have been reported to be more productive and have higher survival than tap-rooted cultivars. To determine if differences in persistence could be related to response to defoliation patterns, we clipped 3 tap- and 3 creeping-rooted alfalfa cultivars. Different fractions of the total number of stems were clipped to different stubble heights every 21 days. Both tap- and creeping- rooted cultivars responded similarly to defoliation. Maximum forage production was obtained when one-third of the stems on a plant were cut back to 5 cm above the ground at each harvest. The lowest forage production was obtained when all stems on a plant were cut back to 5 cm. The most lenient defoliation (one-third of the height of one-third of the stems removed at each harvest) maximized total herbage production (forage plus stubble) but only 32% of the herbage was harvested as forage, leaving 68% as unharvested stubble. Severe defoliation every 21 days decreased the concentration of total nonstructural carbohydrate in the roots and reduced total root biomass. Thirteen alfalfa cultivars responded similarly to grazing when seeded in dense stands. The greater persistence of creeping-rooted alfalfa cultivars under grazing does not appear to be a result of greater intrinsic productivity or more rapid recovery from defoliation. The lateral spread of individual creeping-rooted plants in open stands may increase the probability that some stems will escape defoliation at each grazing; these stems then contribute to rapid recovery from grazing and to plant survival.
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSociety for Range Management
dc.relation.urlhttps://rangelands.org/
dc.rightsCopyright © Society for Range Management.
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
dc.subjectstress response
dc.subjecttotal nonstructural carbohydrates
dc.subjectvarietal reactions
dc.subjectMedicago sativa
dc.subjectclipping
dc.subjectdry matter accumulation
dc.subjectcarbohydrates
dc.subjectroot systems
dc.subjectcultivars
dc.subjectregrowth
dc.subjectcrop yield
dc.subjectdefoliation
dc.subjectgrazing
dc.subjectforage
dc.titleResponse of tap- and creeping-rooted alfalfas to defoliation patterns
dc.typetext
dc.typeArticle
dc.identifier.journalJournal of Range Management
dc.description.noteThis material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries.
dc.description.collectioninformationThe 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.
dc.eprint.versionFinal published version
dc.description.admin-noteMigrated from OJS platform August 2020
dc.source.volume44
dc.source.issue1
dc.source.beginpage22-26
refterms.dateFOA2020-09-24T02:39:10Z


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