Abstract
Abstract The distribution of photosynthetically fixed carbon within a turfgrass sod was investigated following a routine mowing. The partitioning of 14C-labeled photosynthate was monitored in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L. cvs. Baron and Merion) turf 2, 24, and 72 hr after mowing at 3.8 cm. Circles of turf (15 cm in diameter) were exposed to 14CO2 for 15 min, 10-cm-diameter plugs were removed 2 and 24 hr after exposure, and the plants were assayed for radioactivity. Experiments were conducted in late spring, midsummer, and early autumn for 2 years in field plots on a silt loam. Photosynthate translocation from leaf blades to leaf sheaths and crowns was reduced by as much as 25% within 2 hr after mowing but generally returned to a constant and greater rate within 24 hr. Midsummer mowing temporarily inhibited photosynthate transport more than mowing in spring or fall. Photosynthate distribution within turfgrass plants was influenced more by time of year and nutritional status than by mowing. Kentucky bluegrass maintained as closely mowed turf sustains only a slight and temporary disturbance in energy partitioning in response to mowing.
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