Growth rate, senescence and photosynthesis of ryegrass swards cut to maintain a range of values for leaf area index

An experiment was carried out in which simulated swards of ryegrass (cv. S23) were grown in boxes. In the first instance the swards were cut at weekly intervals to maintain five levels of leaf area index (LAI) from LAI 1 to 4–5 in simulation of continuous grazing. Measurements were made of growth, senescence and net growth rate and of net canopy photosynthesis at constant irradiance. The results showed that the swards adapted to the defoliation regimes mainly by changes in tiller population density and pseudostem length. When the swards had equilibrated to the cutting regime growth rate increased with LAI but, since tiller density and the partitioning of growth between herbage harvested and that lost by sensecence also changed with LAI, net growth rate was constant over the LAI range 2–4·5. Maximum weight of herbage harvested was obtained between LAI 2 and 3.
After 10 weeks of weekly cutting all the swards were cut back to LAI 1 and allowed to regrow. Growth rate showed almost no response to the previous culling treatments. The relationship of net canopy photosynthesis to LAI was linear for the frequently defoliated swards and curvilinear for regrowing swards. The reasons for this difference were examined.