Plant recovery and grain-yield formation in barley and triticale following forage removal at two cutting stages

The effects of cutting stage on plant recovery and grain-yield formation were analyzed in three barley and three spring triticale genotypes for two sowing dates and two sites in northeastern Spain. Harvesting treatments were (i) uncut or control, (ii) cut at the pseudostem erection stage, and (iii) cut at the first node detectable stage. Plant recovery after forage removal was affected by environmental conditions, sowing date, and plant stage at cutting. There were genotypic differences in the rate of recovery after cutting. The later the plant stage at cutting, the greater were the reductions in dry-matter accumulation, leaf-area expansion, leaf-area duration after anthesis and grain-yield components, and the increases in the inverse of leaf area ratio (1/LAR) and in grain:leaf ratio. In barley, photosynthesis after anthesis was the main source of assimilates for grain filling. Photosynthesis after anthesis, which was a greater contributor than reserve remobilization to grain filling in both uncut and cut at the pseudostem erection stage treatments in triticale, was reduced when the plants were subjected to the stress of forage removal at the first-detectable-nod stage.