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Table 3 Mean tiller number, tiller length (cm), shoot length, plant density and leaves per tiller of six grass species at 80, 50 and 30 % FC soil moisture content at week 12 phenological stage

From: Irrigation levels affects biomass yields and morphometric characteristics of range grasses in arid rangelands of Kenya

 

CR

ES

EM

CC

CG

SB

Tiller numbers

 80 % FC

11.1b ± 2.3

19.3b ± 4.7

16.2b ± 2.3

28.0b ± 6.4

21.1b ± 11.1

31.0b ± 16.1

 50 % FC

10.8b ± 3.3

14.3b ± 5.8

14.1ab ± 3.3

22.0ab ± 11.4

18.1ab ± 9.1

29.0b ± 6.1

 30 % FC

12.3ab ± 6.3

18.3b ± 7.1

12.1ab ± 2.4

20.0ab ± 8.4

16.3ab ± 9.4

31.2b ± 11.1

 Rainfed

3.3a ± 1.3

3.1a ± 1.1

4.1a ± 2.3

4.7a ± 2.4

4.3a ± 1.2

5.2a ± 2.1

Tiller length

 80 % FC

98.9c ± 23.1

111.9c ± 54.8

89.7c ± 13.8

76.8ab ± 12.7

114.8b ± 21.9

119.6b ± 67.9

 50 % FC

57.9b ± 21.4

99.7b ± 47.3

74.3b ± 32.5

96.5b ± 44.2

102.8b ± 54.3

128.6b ± 57.1

 30 % FC

64.6b ± 31.3

97.9b ± 41.1

77.7b ± 33.3

100.8e ± 56.8

109.8b ± 51.3

143.3c ± 54.7

 Rainfed

24.6a ± 11.2

33.1a ± 21.6

41.3a ± 11.3

33.2a ± 18.1

43.3a ± 19.5

52.4a ± 24.3

Leaves/tiller

 80 % FC

4.4a ± 2.1

6.9a ± 2.1

5.1a ± 2.1

7.8b ± 2.8

8.1a ± 3.1

6.9a ± 2.2

 50 % FC

4.4a ± 2.1

6.9a ± 2.1

5.2a ± 2.1

8.6b ± 2.8

8.5a ± 2.1

4.8a ± 2.1

 30 % FC

3.4a ± 1.1

7.1a ± 4.1

6.2a ± 3.3

9.2b ± 3.8

8.1a ± 3.2

6.1a ± 2.2

 Rainfed

3.5a ± 2.1

4.1a ± 2.1

4.2a ± 2.2

4.6a ± 2.8

5.2a ± 2.2

5.1a ± 2.5

Plant density (plant m−2)

 80 % FC

21.2b

24.4ab

32.4b

27.6a

27.6b

32.8b

 50 % FC

20.8b

20.4ab

31.6b

25.2a

28.4b

34.8b

 30 % FC

22.0b

26.8ab

29.2ab

26.0a

28.8b

30.0b

 Rainfed

18.0a

19.0a

17.2a

22.0a

20.9a

23.3a

  1. Means within the same columns with different superscripts are significantly different at p < 0.05
  2. CR C. roxburghiana, ES E. superba, EM E. macrostachyus, CC C. ciliaris, CG C. gayana, SB S. sudanense, FC field capacity, ± standard deviation