DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i11.016

Pages: 969-973

The ground and underground growth of alfalfa (Algonquin) effected by different ways of mowing was studied through a pot experiment method. Mowing twice treatment possessing the average growth rate of 1.01 cm/day on the ground, this is 1.35 times of that of the control (0.43 cm/day); while cutting once 0.79 cm/day that is 84% higher than the control. At the initial stage after mowing, the ground growth rates decreased with reinforce of cutting intension but increased in the latter period instead. Moderate cutting treatments possessing significantly higher taproot length than that of light and heavy mowing, and its effect of promoting the ground biomass accumulation is very obvious. Severe mowing significantly reduced alfalfa’s late ground branch number and had distinct inhibitory effect on the formation of underground biomass simultaneously. If from the point of improving the ground biomass accumulation, heavy cutting once or light cutting twice is better than light cutting once or twice cutting heavily.