Influence of temperature levels and planting time on the sprouting of rhizome-bud and biomass production of torpedograss (Panicum repens L.) in Okinawa island, southern Japan

The present study describes the influence of temperature levels and planting time on the sprouting of rhizome-buds and the biomass production of torpedograss ( Panicum repens L.) in the Okinawa prefecture, Japan. Torpedograss planted in each month (1994–95) was grown for 210 days. Sprouting of the rhizome-bud of torpedograss was 92–96% at the temperature range of 20–35°C in an incubator, and the sprouting was not observed at the extreme low and high temperature of ≤5 and ≥45°C, respectively. The plant showed 40–72% emergence when grown in pots throughout the year in the ambient temperature range of 17–29°C. The percentage emergence was comparatively higher in March to September, and shoots elongated rapidly in the period from April to October when the temperature range of 22–29°C prevailed. Torpedograss-rhizome sown in the period from January to June obtained significantly higher biomass because higher temperatures prevailed in the following growth period from May to October, as compared with the torpedograss-rhizome sown in the period of July to December. The plant required higher temperatures for proper growth and development during the period of moderate (70–110 days after planting (DAP)) and fast growth phases (110 DAP to the last harvest).