peer-reviewedThree experiments are described that were designed to evaluate the relationship
between soil moisture and perennial ryegrass growth and leaf extension rate (LER) in
loam or silt clay loam soil. When soil moisture was maintained at a range of proportions
(0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25) of field capacity (FC) in a pot experiment in a glasshouse, 0.75FC
had consistently higher growth and LER than 0.5FC and, to a lesser extent, 1.25FC.
The quadratic relationship between herbage growth and amount of water applied to
maintain target field capacity, was stronger than for that between LER and the amount
of water applied, with a maximum response at an application of about 2.5 L/m2 per day.
In a microsward (soil depth of 30 cm in boxes 56 cm × 72 cm) trial inducing drought
by withholding water for a range of durations resulted in a progressive decline in LER.
When soil moisture content fell to about 0.4 of that of the consistently watered control
LER was less than 0.1 of the control. However within one week of receiving water, even
in the relatively severe drought treatment, LER was not significantly lower than the
control treatment. LER was quadratically related to soil moisture content when soil
was drying or after rewatering. In a further experiment on the microswards, reducing
soil moisture content to about 0.18 g/g by limiting water in May-June resulted in a
severe reduction in LER and growth rate and a decline in tillering rate. However, after
application of the equivalent of 3 mm precipitation per day in late June, while soil
moisture content remained relatively low (about 0.2 to 0.25 g/g soil), LER and herbage
growth increased rapidly to as high as in consistently watered microswards. In a treatment
in which soil moisture content eventually exceeded FC, LER and herbage growth
declined with increase in excess above FC, concurring with findings in the steady state
soil moisture experiment. Implications of the data for prediction of production from
sown grass swards using temperate maritime grass-growth models are that: (1) during
drought, when rainfall resumes, regrowth will be influenced more by amount of rainfallthan soil moisture content and (2) excess soil moisture should be taken into account,
including effects of reduced nutrient uptake and post-anoxia stress