Publication Date
1997
Description
Quantification of water-limited pasture growth is of interest in agriculture since it allows prediction of impaired animal production during drought, and is the basis for scheduling irrigation. Experimental work on two dairy pastures 25 km south-west of Palmerston North, New Zealand found 50% of root mass was in the top 2.3 cm of soil. Soil moisture was, similarly, not uniformly distributed down the soil profile and dried most rapidly in the top 20†cm of soil. Leaf appearance rate was more strongly correlated with water status nearer the soil surface (r = 0.52 & 0.63 for 0-5 & 10-15 cm depth, respectively) than at depth (r = 0.13 for 20-70 cm depth). Water-limiting pasture growth models need to account for the distribution of roots and water in the soil to accurately predict growth of pastures subjected to, and recovering from, water deficit.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Interaction between Root Distribution and Pasture Growth During Water Deficit
Quantification of water-limited pasture growth is of interest in agriculture since it allows prediction of impaired animal production during drought, and is the basis for scheduling irrigation. Experimental work on two dairy pastures 25 km south-west of Palmerston North, New Zealand found 50% of root mass was in the top 2.3 cm of soil. Soil moisture was, similarly, not uniformly distributed down the soil profile and dried most rapidly in the top 20†cm of soil. Leaf appearance rate was more strongly correlated with water status nearer the soil surface (r = 0.52 & 0.63 for 0-5 & 10-15 cm depth, respectively) than at depth (r = 0.13 for 20-70 cm depth). Water-limiting pasture growth models need to account for the distribution of roots and water in the soil to accurately predict growth of pastures subjected to, and recovering from, water deficit.
