Effect of clipping on wall barley (<i>Hordeum murinum</i> L.): tillering and forage production

Abstract

The response of wall barley (Hordeum murinum L.) to clipping height at various stages of growth was investigated in the semi-arid grassland of northeastern Jordan in the 1994/1995 and 1995/1996 growing seasons. Treatments included combinations of clipping heights (5 or 10cm above soil surface) and plant growth stages (tillering, jointing or booting), in addition to an unclipped control. Results showed that clipping height had less of an effect on shoot weight and tiller number than time of clipping. Clipping at the tillering stage produced 8.1 to 9.4g per plant dry matter and 9.3 to 11.2 tillers per plant, compared to 7.7 and 8.1g per plant and 7.1 and 8.5 tillers per plant for the unclipped control. Clipping at the jointing and booting stages reduced shoot mass and tiller number. Defoliation during tillering stage did not have an impact on plant shoot mass or tiller number. It is therefore recommended that wall barley plants are defoliated early at the tillering stage before the plant reaches the jointing or reproductive stage, or after the plants reach physiological maturity.

Keywords: annual grasses; barley; botany; clipping height; forage production; grasslands; growth stage; Hordeum murinum; Jordan; plant shoot mass; production; tillering; wall barley; annual grass; clipping; defoliation; dry matter; forage; grassland; growth; height; mediterranean; plant growth; response; season; semi-arid; shoot mass; tillers; treatment; treatments

African Journal of Range & Forage Science, Vol. 15(3), pp. 92-96