Effect of frequency and height of cutting on growth and harvested yield of napier and buffel grass in Pakista

A defoliation study on napier and buffel grass was conducted at the National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan. The grasses were established during spring 1983 and the clipping treatments were applied in August 1986. Four harvesting intervals; control, 3, 6, and 9 week intervals were applied in all combinations of four cutting heights. Cutting heights for napier grass were 15, 30, and 45 cm stubble heights and the control, i.e., cutting at the end of the growing season at ground level, while for buffel grass these were 10, 20 and 30 cm stubble heights and the control. The treatments were applied in all possible combinations in three replicates in a randomized complete block design in a 4 x 4 factorial arrangement. Three plants from each plot were selected randomly for data collection. The data on fresh and dry harvested yields per plot and per plant, number of tillers per plant, plant height, plant basal circumference, number of live and dead leaves, nodes, length of the live leaves and internodes per tiller were collected on described dates during 1986 and 1987.;The interaction between harvesting intervals and clipping heights significantly influenced morphological characteristics of napier but not the harvested yield. Compensatory patterns occurred between harvesting intervals and cutting intensity. Harvesting the grass at a medium stubble height after a 9 week clipping interval was the most favorable treatment for the growth of napier grass. The harvested yield of napier grass was more affected by intensity of clipping than frequency. A reciprocal relationship between harvested yield and clipping height was observed.;Buffel grass response to clipping treatments was similar to that of napier grass. Both grasses exhibited similar trends of growth and harvested yield to the clipping intervals and clipping heights. The effect of clipping interval was greater on the growth and production of buffel grass than napier grass. Frequent clipping provided greater harvested yield. Like napier grass, clipping intensity had a favorable effect on plant growth and harvested yield of buffel grass. The interaction between harvesting interval and clipping height significantly affected plant growth and production of buffel grass suggesting that both treatments should be considered for high production of buffel grass.