Post-flowering tillering in contrasting light environments of two New Zealand perennial ryegrass cultivars with different perennation strategies

Post-flowering tillering responses of 'Ellett' and 'Grasslands Ruanui' perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) cultivars after inflorescence production were studied at INRA, Lusignan in France, at near ambient light (absence of light competition, control treatment) and under shading (low-light intensity and low red–far red ratio). A dense sward containing inflorescence bearing plants of both perennial ryegrass cultivars at ambient light was cut to a height of 50 mm above ground level after which the light treatments were imposed. Forty-five days later, data were collected on the number of tillers per plant, the number of new tillers per original tiller and the dry weight of vegetative and reproductive tillers. Regardless of light treatment, cv. 'Ellett' had fewer tillers per plant, higher weight per tiller and a higher proportion of reproductive tillers than did cv. 'Grasslands Ruanui'. Number of tillers per plant and number of new tillers per tiller were consistently reduced under shade compared with the control treatment for both cultivars. When shaded, weight of reproductive tillers of cvs 'Ellett' and 'Grasslands Ruanui' were 40% and 43%, respectively, less than the control, whereas vegetative tiller weight did not change. In addition, differences between cultivars in the tillering strategy after flowering seem to be unaffected by the light environment. Thus, field observations regarding tillering of cvs 'Ellett' and 'Grasslands Ruanui' were consistent with current results suggesting different grazing managements are needed after flowering to optimize the replacement of tillers for both cultivars.