Growth and potential reproduction of Poa crymophila in response to season precipitation shortage in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau, China

Abstract

Abstract-The growing season in 2006 existed a quite less precipitation than previous years in the eastern of Tibetan Plateau, China. In order to explore the response strategies of the grass to drought year, the variations of growth and potential reproduction of Poa crymophila between rich (2005) and poor rainfall year (2006) were studied. Reproductive shoot biomass, above and below ground biomass pronounced decreased in the poor rainfall year, but the ratio of above /below ground biomass and vegetative shoot biomass increased. Car bon content in inflorescence increased significantly in 2006, but decreased significantly in root. Nitrogen contents and the C/N ratios in plant components were not significantly different. Sexual reproduction in 2005 and 2006 was not different. Season precipitation shortage could result in the higher mortality of vernal budding shoots or tillers. The results suggested that P. crymophila response to poor rainfall year (drought) by a smaller plant body, allocating more proportional biomass to above ground, altering more carbon to inflo rescence, and altering its reproductive way to sexual.

Multi-Cutting Improves Forage Yield and Nutritional Value and Maintains the Soil Nutrient Balance in a Rainfed Agroecosystem

“…Therefore, in drought years, P. crymophila plants are smaller, allocate more biomass to the aboveground structures and more C to the inflorescence. However, the levels of N did not change ( Zhou et al, 2010 ). In this study, nutritional quality was positively correlated with rainfall and forage yield and negatively correlated with temperature.…”

Flexible response and rapid recovery strategies of the plateau forage Poa crymophila to cold and drought

“…This variety not only survives the winter safely at a low temperature even of −36°C with a wintering rate of over 95%, but its well-developed root system is mostly concentrated in the soil layer of 10–18 cm, with a cylindrical root sheath structure that facilitates water absorption from moist sand. It has been cultivated as forage with high tolerance to cold and drought stresses ( Zhou et al., 2010 ; Hua et al., 2019 ). Therefore, P. crymophila is an excellent material for exploring the molecular mechanisms of cold and drought tolerance in the alpine region.…”