A Physiological Approach to the Analysis of Crop Growth Data. II. Growth of Stylosanthes humilis

Abstract

Crops of three ecotypes of the pasture legume Stylosanthes humilis were grown during different lengths of growing season at Katherine, N T, Australia The ecotypes had contrasting flowering behaviour, and the interaction between their relative periods of vegetative and reproductive growth and the length of the growing season was studied A preliminary analysis, employing the techniques of traditional growth analysis, was made of the data. The results were equivocal and a physiological approach to the analysis of the data was taken From this second analysis it was concluded that the main physiological differences in the growth of the crops was their flowering date and that differences in forage yield, and the yield of reproductive parts, at the end of the growing season could be attributed to this factor No other consistent significant differences in the physiological behaviour of the crops were observed