Effect of shading during growth on the soluble sugar contents of short rotation ryegrass.

Abstract

The effect of shading for 64 hours before cutting on the soluble sugar contents of short rotation ryegrass has been determined at weekly intervals during growth. From grass with five to six leaves emergent to the stage of growth usually accepted for hay-making, the average reduction in the total sugar content of the shaded plants was about 30 per cent, made up of decreases in sucrose (12 per cent), oligosaccharides (5 per cent) and fructosans (13 per cent).