Examining the impact of shade on above-ground biomass and normalized difference vegetation index of C3 and C4 grass species in North-Western NSW, Australia

Title
Examining the impact of shade on above-ground biomass and normalized difference vegetation index of C3 and C4 grass species in North-Western NSW, Australia
Publication Date
2015-06
Author(s)
Barnes, P
Wilson, B R
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7983-0909
Email: bwilson7@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:bwilson7
Reid, N
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4377-9734
Email: nrei3@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:nrei3
Bayerlein, L
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8337-3133
Email: lbayerl2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:lbayerl2
Koen, T B
Olupot, G
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1111/gfs.12118
UNE publication id
une:17416
Abstract
Previous investigations have detected a directional trend in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of pastures around scattered paddock trees and identified shade from the tree as the most likely causal factor. This study uses a field experiment to quantify the effect of varying levels of shade on the above-ground biomass and NDVI of three grass species native to Australia (Microlaena stipoides, C3, shade tolerant; Austrodanthonia richardsonii, C3, prefers full sunlight, and Chloris ventricosa, C4, prefers full sunlight) in different seasons. The study demonstrates that shade had little influence on the above-ground biomass of C3 species but significantly reduced biomass in the C4 species. Until early winter, the NDVI of each species was generally significantly higher in all shaded treatments than in the no-shade treatment. This suggests that shaded plants retained a higher proportion of green biomass and/or changed leaf shape, increased leaf area and chlorophyll content. Regardless, although not proven in this experiment, it is likely shade prolonged the retention of green plant material into mid to late winter. Overall, this experiment explains the directional trends in NDVI around scattered trees found in previous work and suggests that shade from scattered trees prolongs green pasture production in a range of native grass species, without loss of C3 pasture biomass.
Link
Citation
Grass and Forage Science, 70(2), p. 324-334
ISSN
1365-2494
0142-5242
Start page
324
End page
334

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