The Influence of Leaf Death on the Rate of Accumulation of Green Herbage During Pasture Regrowth

Abstract

During the intervals between successive defoliations of a pasture sward, continual changes occur in the area of leaf and the total dry matter present per unit area of ground. The significance of such changes and the factors that control them have been intensively studied. The emphasis in such studies has been on initial stages of regrowth when Leaf Area Index (LAI) values and yields are relatively low. There remain a number of aspects of primary productivity at medium and high LAI values that require investigation (Brougham 1962; Alberda 1965a; Brown & Blaser 1968). One of these aspects, the influence of leaf death, is the subject of this paper.