Water-use efficiency of one C3 and two C4 grasses in response to varying soil moisture and herbage-removal levels in a seasonally dry tropical region |
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| Authors: | K P Singh Gopa Misra |
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| Institution: | (1) Ecology Research Laboratory, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, 221 005 Varanasi, India |
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| Abstract: | In a seasonally dry tropical region the water use efficiency (WUE) of three grasses (C3 winter annualPolypogon monspeliensis, C4 perennialDichanthium annulatum and C4 warm seasonal annualEchinochloa colonum) was evaluated during summer and winter under nine experimental conditions (3 soil moisture×3 herbage removal). Generally leaf water status and transpiration rate decreased with soil moisture stress and increased with clipping intensity. During winter the transpiration rate of Dichanthium was much lower than that of Polypogon and its own rate in summer. Both soil moisture stress and clipping intensity increased the WUE in all instances. Despite differences in photosynthetic type, growing season and life form, these grasses exhibited broadly similar positive relationships, across nine treatments for WUE: soil moisture stress, and water consumption: production. The range of WUE (g. mm–1) calculated on TNP through the nine treatments was: summer—Dichanthium 2.9–10.0, Echinochloa 2.0–6.7; winter—Dichanthium 4.3–36.3, Polypogon 1.9–12.0. |
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| Keywords: | Clipping C3 grass C4 grass Dry tropics Echinochloa colonum Dichanthium annulatum Transpiration rate Water consumption Water use efficiency |
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