Carbon resource sharing and rhizome expansion of Phalaris aquatica plants in grazed pastures
Brendan R. Cullen A B C , David F. Chapman A and Paul E. Quigley BA School of Agriculture and Food Systems, Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
B Primary Industries Research Victoria, Department of Primary Industries, Private Bag 105, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.
C Present address: CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
Corresponding author. Email: brendan.cullen@csiro.au
Functional Plant Biology 32(1) 79-85 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP04098
Submitted: 1 June 2004 Accepted: 5 November 2004 Published: 21 January 2005
Abstract
The patterns of carbon (C) resource sharing and new rhizome development in phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L. cv. Australian) were examined in grazed pastures in western Victoria. The seasonal pattern of new rhizome growth was similar under the four grazing systems tested. New rhizome production was infrequent but concentrated in winter. The phalaris plants maintained more than 1600 kg DW ha–1 of non-assimilating material beneath the soil surface (0–5 cm). Gaseous 14C was fed into plants in the field to determine if these below ground structures continued to be supported by the C assimilating tillers. The results indicated that the primary tiller does provide C to support the growth of secondary and tertiary tillers derived from its axillary buds. There was some evidence that C was exported from the fed tiller to non-assimilating plant structures. The old reproductive tiller bases (from which the assimilating tillers originate) received some C support, suggesting that this was maintained because it had deep roots attached. C export to older plant parts declined, which may lead to plant fragmentation.
Keywords: C allocation, perennial grasses.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the assistance of the Sustainable Grazing Systems team at the Pastoral and Veterinary Institute, Hamilton, in setting up and maintaining the trial site, and Gavin Kearney for statistical advice. The Australian Research Council provided a scholarship to the senior author during this study.
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