Effect of nitrogen addition and drought on above-ground biomass of expanding tall grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius

Abstract: Tall expansive grasses act as serious weeds since they spread intensively and are a important threat to biodiversity of various plant communities. A field experiment was set up based on three sets of paired plots, where Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius dominated and a mixture of both these tall grasses occurred. Parallel plots were treated by additional amounts of nitrogen (50 kg N ha−1) for six years (2002–2007). Above-ground biomass was harvested in both wet (2004) and dry (2007) years, separated in individual fractions, and weighed to determine the above-ground biomass. We wanted to know if a higher nitrogen availability in dry year can support above-ground growth of expansive tall grasses C. epigejos and A. elatius and what their competitive ability of these tall grasses in mixture is in dry conditions. Drought resulted in a decrease in above-ground biomass production of studied tall expansive grasses, and, in a relative increase in mortality of A. elatius shoots in comparison with C. epigejos. Drought can substantially reduce the effect of applied nitrogen on above-ground growth of expansive tall grasses. However, A. elatius appears to be producing more above-ground biomass after application of N even in relatively dry conditions.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Effect of nitrogen addition and drought on above-ground biomass of expanding tall grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius ; volume:66 ; number:2 ; year:2011 ; pages:275-281 ; extent:7 ; Biologia ; 66, Heft 2 (2011), 275-281 (gesamt 7)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Fiala, Karel ; Tůma, Ivan ; Holub, Petr

Further information

• DOI: 10.2478/s11756-011-0001-x
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2409221711194.026250155586
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:28 AM CEST