Morfogênese de plantas de Capim-Marandu com a mesma altura inicial em pastos com alturas médias variáveis.

Abstract

In a pasture there are plants with distinct heights, which can stimulate changes in their morphogenic and structural characteristics, as a way to optimize their growth and persistence. This work was conducted with the objective of verifying if the morphogenic and structural characteristics are similar in plants with the same height, but coming from pastures with different average heights. The work was carried out at the Capim Branco experimental farm of the Federal University of Uberlândia. Plants with 25 cm height were evaluated in managed grasses with a mean height of 15, 25 and 35 cm. The completely randomized design was adopted, with six replicates. The leaf appearance rate was higher in the plants that were in the grass of 15 cm of average height than in that with 35 cm of height, whereas in the grass of 25 cm of height was similar to the plants of the grasses with 15 and 35 cm. The stem elongation and leaf senescence rates were not influenced by the mean grass height. The leaf elongation rate was higher in the 35 cm pastures, in relation to the other heights. The leaf life span (DVF) was higher in the grass of 35 cm of average height than in that of 15 cm of medium height. The DVF values of the plants in the pasture with 25 cm of average height, were similar to the plants of the pastures with 15 and 35 cm. The structural characteristics of the plant were not influenced by the average grass height. The height of the pasture in which the plant is found interferes in its morphogenic characteristics.