Características morfogênicas e estruturais de faixas etárias de perfilhos em pastos de capim-marandu submetidos à lotação contínua e ritmos morfogênicos contrastantes / Abstract Morphogenetic and structural characteristics of tiller age categories on continuously stocked marandu palisadegrass swards subjected to contrasting morphogenetic rhythms

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

Recently, studies focusing on morphogenetic and structural characteristics have become increasingly important since they facilitate the understanding of forage plants when subjected to grazing. Quite often nitrogen fertilisation is used as a means of increasing growth rhythm of plants that, because of the turnover in tiller population, may result in significant modifications in the age profile of tillers comprising the pasture and interfere with their morphogenetic and structural responses. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the influence of tiller age on morphogenetic and structural responses of continuously stocked marandu palisadegrass swards maintained at 30 cm and subjected to contrasting morphogenetic rhythms created by nitrogen fertilisation use. Treatments corresponded to three nitrogen application rates (150, 300 e 450 kg/ha de N) plus the control (no fertilisation) and were assigned to experimental units (1200 m2 paddocks) according to a complete randomised block design, with four replications. The following response variables were measured during autum/winter 2007 and summer 2008: leaf appearance rate (LAR), phyllochron (days), leaf (LER) and stem (SER) elongation rate, leaf life span (LLS), leaf senescence rate (LSR), final leaf length of fully expanded leaves (FLL), stem length (SL), number of expanding (NEL), senescing (NSL) and live (NLL) leaves per tiller, and tiller age categories comprising sward tiller population. In general, faster morphogenetic rhythms (swards fertilised with 300 and 450 kg/ha of N) resulted in a younger tiller population than slower morphogenetic rhythms (no fertilised swards or fertilised with 150 kg/ha of N). Young tillers had higher LAR and LER and lower phyllochron and LLS than mature and old tillers. These variations in morphogenetic responses resulted in larger FLL and NLL on mature tillers, lower NEL on old tillers and lower SL and NSL on young tillers in autumn/winter. During summer, they resulted in lower FLL and NLL on old tillers, and lower SL on young tiller. Faster morphogenetic rhythms result in a younger tiller population characterised by higher LAP and LER than mature and old tillers, indicating that management practices that allow fast turnover in tiller population could result in increased herbage accumulation, favouring increases in animal productivity.

ASSUNTO(S)

nitrogen nitrogênio marandu palisadegrass pastagens capim marandu pastejo. pasture grazing. morfogênese vegetal morphogenesis

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