Seed production of pojucagrass as influenced by crop establishment techniques

Pojucagrass (Paspaium atratum cv. 'Pojuca') is a perennial tropical grass used as cultivated pasture. Seed production of this cultivar is erratic, especially in the year of the seed crop establishment. Between October 2002 and May 2003, an experiment was carried out in Planaltina (DF), Brazil, to evaluate the effects of time of sowing and of seedling population densities upon the seed production potential of this grass in the year of the crop establishment. Pure seed yield, harvested by means of the 'sweating' method, was affected both by time of sowing and by seedling densities. As time of sowing was delayed to late Spring, yield was reduced in association with a reduction in inflorescence density. In ealier sowing (mid Spring), seed yield was reduced as a consequence of plant lodging. The adverse effects of delayed sowing upon pure seed yield was attenuated by lower seedling population densities but this effect was not as pronounced as that resulting from time of sowing. Thus, the highest pure seed yield (331kg ha(-1)) in the year of crop establishment resulted from a mid-November sowing and where there were 10 seedlings m(-2).