Physical strength and its relation to leaf anatomical characteristics of nine forage grasses
Ji Min Zhang A B C , Akio Hongo A and Masahiro Akimoto AA Department of Agro-environmental Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555 Japan.
B College of Life Sciences, Northwest Sci-Tech University of Agriculture and Forestry, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100 China.
C Corresponding author; email: jiminzhang@hotmail.com
Australian Journal of Botany 52(6) 799-804 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT03049
Submitted: 7 April 2003 Accepted: 9 August 2004 Published: 24 December 2004
Abstract
Nine species of forage grasses (five C3 species and four C4 species) were planted in a controlled-environment glasshouse. The C3 plants were Festuca arundinacea Schreb, Dactylis glomerata L., Phleum pratense L., Lolium perennel L. and Poa pratensis L.; the C4 plants were Chloris gayana Kunch., Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Paspalum dilatatum Poir. and Sorghum halenpense (L.) Pers. The number of major vascular bundles and minor vascular bundles, cross-sectional area, the area and proportion of sclerenchyma in a cross-section, thickness of leaf blade, and tensile and shear strength were investigated in order to determine the relationship between physical strength and anatomical characteristics.
Physical strength and anatomical characteristics of leaf blades showed significant (P < 0.01) variation between species. Significant correlations were detected between tensile strength and cross-sectional area in forage grasses except Festuca arundinacea. Festuca arundinacea, Dactylis glomerata, Phleum pratense, Chloris gayana and Sorghum halenpense showed significant correlations of tensile strength with the number of major vascular bundles. Festuca arundinacea, Dactylis glomerata and Lolium perennel showed significant correlations of shear strength with cross-sectional area. Festuca arundinacea, Dactylis glomerata and Paspalum dilatatum showed significant correlations of shear strength with the number of major vascular bundles. The proportion of sclerenchyma in a cross-section showed poor correlations with tensile and shear strength. Thickness of leaf blade showed poor correlations with tensile and shear strength except in Dactylis glomerata. Physical strength and anatomical characteristics of leaf blades of the C3 group differed significantly (P < 0.01) when compared with the C4 group except for cross-sectional area. Tensile and shear strength showed significant correlations with cross-sectional area, sclerenchyma area and the number of vascular bundles when all nine species were treated as one group.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to three anonymous referees for invaluable comments in this manuscript. This work is partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (No. 11660264).
Akin DE, Burdick D
(1975) Percentage of tissue types in tropical and temperate leaf blades and degradation of tissues by rumen microorganisms. Crop Science 15, 661–668.
Baker, SL ,
Klein Boer, ES ,
and
Purser, DB (1993). Genotypes of dry, mature subterranean clover differ in shear energy. In ‘Proceedings of the XVII International Grasslands Congress, New Zealand, February’ pp. 592–593.
Cohen CJ,
Chilcote DO, Frakes RV
(1982) Leaf anatomy and stomatal characteristics of four tall fescue selections differing in forage yield. Crop Science 22, 704–708.
Easton HS
(1989) Variability of leaf shear strength in perennial ryegrass. New Zealand Journal of Agriculture Research 32, 1–6.
Evans PS
(1967) Leaf strength studies of pasture grasses. I. Apparatus, techniques and some factors affecting leaf strength. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 69, 171–174.
Gamborg, OL ,
and
Wetter, LR (1975).
Greenberg AR,
Mehling A,
Lee M, Bock JH
(1989) Tensile behavior of grass. Journal of Materials Science 24, 2549–2554.
Hanson JC, Rasmusson DC
(1975) Leaf vine frequency in barley. Crop Science 15, 248–251.
Henry DA,
Macmillan RH, Simpson RJ
(1996) Measurement of the shear strength and tensile fracture properties of leaves of pasture grasses. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 47, 587–603.
| Crossref |
Herrero MC,
Valle CB,
Hughes NRG,
Sabatel VO, Jessop NS
(2001) Measurements of physical strength and their relationship to the chemical composition of four species of Branchiaria.
Animal Feed Science and Technology 92, 149–158.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hiiemae, KM (1978). Mammalian mastication: a review of the activity of the jaw muscles and the movements they produce in chewing. In ‘Development, function and evolution of teeth’. pp. 359–398. (Academic Press: London)
Hughes NRG,
Valle CB,
Sabatel V,
Boock J,
Jessop NS, Herrero M
(2000) Shear strength as an additional selection criterion for quality in Brachiaria pasture ecotypes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 135, 123–130.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Inoue T,
Brookes IM,
Barry TN, John A
(1989) Effects of selection for shear strength on the voluntary intake and digestion of perennial ryegrass fed to sheep. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 49, 221–224.
Mackinnon BW,
Easton HS,
Barry TN, Sedcole JR
(1957) The effect of reduced leaf shear strength on the nutritive value of perennial ryegrass. Journal of Agricultural Science 111, 469–474.
Moore, JE ,
and
Mott, GD (1973). Structural inhibitors of quality in tropical grasses. In ‘Anti-quality components of forages’. (CSSA Special Publication No. 4: USA)
Murphy T
(1959) The axis of the masticatory stroke in the sheep. Australian Dental Journal 4, 104–111.
Pereira BP,
Lucas PW, Swee-Hin T
(1997) Ranking the fracture toughness of thin mammalian soft tissues using the scissors cutting test. Journal of Biomechanics 30, 91–94.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Rae AL,
Brougham RW, Barton RA
(1964) A note on liveweight gains of sheep grazing different ryegrass pastures. New Zealand Journal of Agriculture Research 7, 491–495.
Rensberger JM
(1973) An occlusion model for mastication and dental wear in herbivorous mammals. Journal of Paleontology 47, 515–528.
Soper K, Mitchell KJ
(1956) The developmental anatomy of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology 37, 484–504.
Theron EP, Booysen PV
(1968) A study of the factors influencing the breaking tension of the leaves of various grasses. Proceeding of the Grassland Society of South African 3, 63–66.
Turnbull, WD (1970). Mammalian masticatory apparatus. In ‘Geology’. Vol. 18. (Field Museum of National History: Chicago)
Ulyatt, MJ (1973). The feeding value of herbage. In ‘Chemistry and biochemistry of herbage’. Vol. 3. pp. 131–178. (Academic Press: London)
Vincent JFV
(1990) Fracture in plants. Advances in Botanical Research 17, 235–282.
Vincent, JFV (1992).
Wilman D, Riley JA
(1993) Potential nutritive value of a wide range of grassland species. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 120, 43–49.
Wilman D,
Mtengeti EJ, Moseley G
(1996) Physical structure of twelve forage species in relation to rate of intake by sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 126, 277–285.
Wilson, JR (1990). Influence of plant anatomy on digestion and fibre breakdown. In ‘Microbial and plant opportunities to improve lignocellulose utilization by ruminants’. pp. 99–117. (Elsevier: New York)
Wilson JR,
Brown RH, Windham WR
(1983) Influence of leaf anatomy on the dry matter digestibility of C3, C4 and C3/C4 intermediate types of Panicum species. Crop Science 23, 141–146.
Wright W, Vincent JFV
(1996) Herbivory and the mechanics of fracture in plants. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 71, 401–413.
Zhang JM
(2004) Effect of physical strength of forage grasses on grazing behavior of sheep. PhD thesis
(Iwate University:
Morioka, Japan.)
Zhang JM,
Akimoto M, Hongo A
(2004) Effects of applied nitrogen and leaf density of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) on the grazing behavior of sheep. Grassland Science 49, 563–570.
