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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 75(1)

Differential responses of yield and shoot traits of five tropical grasses to nitrogen and distance to trees in silvopastoral systems

Laíse da Silveira Pontes https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3906-3047 A * and Emilio A. Laca B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Rural Development Institute of Paraná – IAPAR-EMATER, Ponta Grossa, PR CEP 84001-970, Brazil.

B Department of Plants Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

* Correspondence to: laisepontes@idr.pr.gov.br

Handling Editor: Brendan Cullen

Crop & Pasture Science 75, CP23081 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP23081
Submitted: 22 March 2023  Accepted: 15 September 2023  Published: 13 October 2023

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

Light intensity and nitrogen availability are important factors influencing the growth of C4 forage species. Trade-offs may occur in the adaptive responses of species to shading and nitrogen inputs, and functional shoot traits can help to explain the consequences of these responses for species performance.

Aims

Our objective was to gain understanding of the mechanisms involving shoot traits of grasses that determine above-ground dry matter yield (DMY) when resources, light and nitrogen all vary.

Methods

Five C4 perennial forage grasses were grown in six shading conditions (full sunlight vs five positions between Eucalyptus dunnii rows) with two nitrogen levels (0 vs 300 kg N ha−1 year−1) and clipped when the canopy reached 95% light interception. Path analysis was used to explore the relationship between DMY, shading levels, nitrogen nutrition index and shoot traits.

Key results

Yield increased between 126 and 569 g dry matter m−2 with nitrogen fertilisation. Plant nitrogen concentration was the most important predictor of DMY. Increased shading reduced DMY by 6.94–12.5 g dry matter m−2 for each 1% increase in shading. DMY was also modulated by shoot traits such as specific leaf area, sheath length and leaf area index (via leaf area and tiller density), but with different responses according to species.

Conclusions

The five species compared adopted different mechanisms involving shoot traits, revealing different strategies to cope with changes in light and nitrogen availability.

Implications

Agroforestry practitioners may want to choose forages that are more likely to maintain biomass yield as trees grow.

Keywords: agroforestry systems, Eucalyptus dunnii, forage species, functional leaf traits, light interception, nitrogen nutrition index, shade, species strategies.

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