
Offered Papers Theme A: Efficient Production from Grassland
Description
Less lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is now grown because of difficulties arising from 2 interacting characteristics: productivity and stand persistence. Optimisation of these two parameters depends highly of the cutting management (cutting height and/or frequency) and of the taproot N reserves. For example, Avice et al. (1997) showed that lucerne shoot regrowth is relates closely to taproot soluble protein concentrations (especially vegetative storage protein: VSP). However, it is not known how stubble C-N reserves and/or residual leaf area (both depending of the cutting management) influence the contribution of taproot reserve-derived C-N supply to regrowing lucerne shoots after defoliation. This study aimed to estimate the role of stubble C/N reserves or residual leaf area (RLA) on the contribution of taproot N reserves to shoot regrowth of lucerne after cutting.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Improvement of Lucerne Cutting Management: The Relative Impact of Initial Organic Reserves, Cutting Height and Residual Leaf Area on Forage Yield
Less lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is now grown because of difficulties arising from 2 interacting characteristics: productivity and stand persistence. Optimisation of these two parameters depends highly of the cutting management (cutting height and/or frequency) and of the taproot N reserves. For example, Avice et al. (1997) showed that lucerne shoot regrowth is relates closely to taproot soluble protein concentrations (especially vegetative storage protein: VSP). However, it is not known how stubble C-N reserves and/or residual leaf area (both depending of the cutting management) influence the contribution of taproot reserve-derived C-N supply to regrowing lucerne shoots after defoliation. This study aimed to estimate the role of stubble C/N reserves or residual leaf area (RLA) on the contribution of taproot N reserves to shoot regrowth of lucerne after cutting.