Author(s)

Mingyao Huang, Qiang Sheng, Jihua Wu, Xiaoyun Pan

Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of Yangtze River Estuary, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Harvest and salinity are two important factors of the growth of common reed (Phragmites australis). We here examined the different impact of winter harvest treatment on the Phragmites australis between high and low salinity (mean soil electrical conductivity is 7.87 ms/cm and 0.91 ms/cm) areas in Dongtan wetland of Yangtze River estuary, China. We measured phenology, Shoot density, stem diameter and height, biomass (total, aboveground and belowground biomass) and spike weight. At high salinity areas, harvest significantly inhibited the individual growth of stem height yet enhanced ramet density, and consequently led to an insignificant change in aboveground biomass. The belowground parts of reed were significantly inhibited. The root shoot ratio and the proportion of asexual reproduction decreased significantly. At low salinity areas, however, winter harvest generally has no significant influence on reed growth. Our results suggest that the winter harvest management may cause a decline of reed populations in the long term under condition of high salinity; however winter harvesting can be suggested as a proper management for sustainable utilization of reed communities at low salinity areas.

Management, Biomass, Phenology, Allometry

Huang, M. , Sheng, Q. , Wu, J. and Pan, X. (2014) Effects of Winter Harvesting and Salinity on the Structure of Regrowing Reed Stands. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 5, 3250-3257. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2014.521339.