The physiology of tiller death in grasses. 2. Causes of tiller death in a grass sward

AbstractThe causes of tiller death in a 2‐year‐old perennial ryegrass sward were examined between April and August 1977. Physiological causes accounted for most tiller deaths and grazing by slugs and rodents was more important than the damage caused by stem‐boring larvae. Tillers which died were mainly small and vegetative, although some flowering tillers died prematurely. Low nutrient status delayed but did not prevent tiller death.Using 14CO2 it was shown that small tillers fixed relatively less radiocarbon than did larger tillers and they did not receive much support for their carbon economy. Selective defoliation showed that in April defoliated tillers imported radiocarbon from undefoliated tillers but that in July at anthesis an undefoliated reproductive tiller retained most of the carbon it fixed, despite its vascular association with defoliated tillers. It appears that much of the tiller death during the period April‐August is due to the failure of the more favourably placed tillers to support other tillers which are heavily shaded.