Abstract
We conducted a field experiment in Nasushiobara City (36°55'N,139°56'E) in Japan to determine the effects of cutting time and height on regrowth after overwintering in three lines of Erianthus arundinaceus with different plant type. The plants were cut at 5 or 30 cm above the ground in November 2010 or February 2011. Plant regrowth, defined using by number of tillers and dry matter yield, was affected more by the cutting time than by the cutting height. The number of regrown tillers in May 2011 and the yield in October 2011 were larger in the February-cutting than in the November-cutting of the previous year. The higher cutting produced more tillers in May 2011 and a larger yield in October 2011 in the November-cutting, whereas the opposite results were obtained in the February-cutting. The effect of cutting time and height was apparent in the lines of tiller-weight type. Highly positive correlation coefficients were obtained between the number of regrown tillers in May 2011 and the dry matter yield in October 2011 for the three lines. These results suggest that poor regrowth in the November-cutting might be caused by a reduction of tiller bud potential in the overwintered stubble.
