Growth of blue grama and western wheatgrass following grasshopper defoliation and mechanical clipping
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Authors: M. R. Walmsley, J. L. Capinera, J. K. Delting, and M. L. Dyer
Date: 1987
Journal: Journal of Kansas Entomology Society
Volume: 60
Number: 1
Pages: 51-57
Summary of Methods: The authors subjected blue grama and western wheatgrass plants to two levels of mechanical clipping and recorded the plant response to these treatments. The greatest reduction in shoot and root biomass took place in heavily clipped plants. These plants showed a change in carbohydrate allocation to increase the ratio of shoots produced in the first three weeks after clipping. After this point, allocation to root biomass increased so that no significant difference was seen in root:shoot ratios after the three week point. Despite the changes in carbohydrate allocation, clipped plants showed lower shoot biomass than control plants for both species.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: bouteloua gracilis, blue grama, agropyron smithii, western wheatgrass, clipping, shoot biomass, root biomass
Annotation: The clipping treatment and grasshopper treatment were separate; this summary covers the results of the clipping treatments only. Light clipping removed the upper 33% of leaf blade area and heavy clipping removed the upper 67% of leaf blade area. Season of use not defined.
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