Effect of sheep grazing management on distribution of white clover stolons among 3 horizontal strata in ryegrass/white clover swards

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Abstract
White clover stolons were dissected from core samples taken from pastures with 3 different management backgrounds; set stocked (S), rotationally grazed (R), or set stocked from lambing until drafting, then rotationally grazed for the rest of the year (C). Stolons were classified as aerial, surface, or buried. Stolon dry weight and stolon length for each stolon class, and the number of growing points were measured once a month for 1 year. Despite causing large differences in pasture availability and structure, sheep grazing management had little effect on the amount of stolon in the sward or the distribution of stolon in the 3 classes. However, management did affect stolon length per unit stolon dry weight and the degree of stolon branching (measured as growing point density) in the order S>C>R. The seasonal change in stolon distribution among the 3 classes was large, but similar for all grazing managements. Aerial and surface stolons were at a maximum in late summer-early autumn and at a minimum in winter-early spring. The buried class formed a large percentage of total stolon weight throughout the year, ranging from 45% in summer to 95% in early spring. Mean total stolon weight varied with season, ranging from 186 kg/ha in December to 362 kg/ha in April.

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