Abstract
Growth performance of a wetland species, Phragmites australis in a swampy section was investigated focusing on the effects of summer harvesting. Communities harvested in June, the time of rapid growth and minimum rhizome reserves, were compared with non-harvesting communities and those harvested in July, when shoot was growing slowly and rhizomes already recovered.
Harvesting markedly decreased shoots and buds diameters, the spatial leaf density, and increased total production, if harvested in July particularly, and buds density. Rhizome biomass and rhizome bulk density decreased after harvesting. However, with July cut communities, rhizome biomass and rhizome bulk density were recharged at November. In June cut communities, on the other hand, only rhizome bulk density was recovered because of their high mortality rate.
These results were particularly useful in the management of reed swamp such as harvesting in June causes the suppression of reeds and, in late July to early August, removes nutrients from the ground.
