Burning and cutting management and the formation of seed yield in Brachiaria decumbens

Abstract

A central issue in the husbandry of seed crops of perennial tropical grasses is the disposal of residues from previous crops. Flowering of these grasses is usually poorly synchronized, and the sudden removal of all shoot material by burning, mechanical removal or stock concentration is necessary to create a population of tillers of similar age (Humphreys & Riveros, 1986). There has been little critical study of alternative systems of residue disposal and their effects on the ways in which seed yield is realized. Questions requiring attention are whether cutting differs from burning in its effects, and whether the fuel load, determined by the size of the previous crop, influences the potentially damaging effect of fire on crown buds.