Changes in the Content and Allocation of Carbon and Nitrogen during Forage Regrowth

Regrowth after cutting or grazing perennial grasslands sustains the production potential of forage and the persistence of grassland species. The changes in nature, content and allocation of compounds within plant parts are fundamentally correlated to the forage regrowth process (Lambers et al. 2008). These compounds are sourced from reserves and new assimilates. Carbohydrates and proteins stored mainly in the stem base and the root play an important role at the early stages of regrowth (Meuriot et al. 2004). The newly assimilated compounds include carbon from photosynthesis for the residual leaf and stem, and nitrogen absorbed by the roots from which amino acids and proteins will be produced (Dhont et al. 2003). Assimilates change as the forage regrows, playing a key role in the later stages. This mini-review summarises the changes in the content and allocation of carbon and nitrogen after cutting or grazing