Studies on the cutting management of grass-clover swards. IV. The effects of close and lax cutting on the yield of herbage from swards cut at different frequencies

Abstract

1. The effects of cutting herbage to either 1 in. or 2½ in. from ground level were studied at varying cutting frequencies in two experiments on a perennial rye-grass/white-clover sward. In one of the experiments the frequency of cutting was decided by the stage of growth of the herbage, and in the other it was decided on a time basis where cutting was carried out at intervals of 2, 4 or 6 weeks throughout the growing season.2. Greater yields of herbage dry matter were obtained by cutting to 1 in. rather than to 2½ in. at all cutting frequencies in both experiments. This effect did not vary significantly with frequency of cutting where cutting dates were decided by the stage of growth of the herbage. However, where the cutting frequency was decided on a time basis, close cutting gave a relatively greater yield increase compared with lax cutting where the herbage was cut every 2 weeks instead of every 4 or 6 weeks.3. The results suggest that the practice of cutting at an average stage of growth in previous experiments probably had little or no influence on the effects recorded for the contrasting closeness of cutting treatments.