Growth Responses of the Perennial Grass, Phalaris Aquatica L., to Cutting Frequency and Influence on Secondary Metabolites and Antioxidant Activity

Highlights Defoliation initiates physiological recovery and chemical defense mechanisms in Phalaris aquatica. Under infrequent defoliation treatment, P. aquatica has high DM production. Defoliation severity on herbage regrowth was associated with variation of secondary metabolite content and antioxidant activity. Phalaris may be suited to conservation pasture systems; the interval between cuts is about six weeks to maximize rates of regrowth. Results indicate that Phalaris may be used as fodder crop to sustained production and food security. Abstract. Perennial grasses are the key to the economic and environmental sustainability of pastures for livestock, and in arid and semi-arid environments, they can provide multiple ecosystem services more effectively than production systems based on annual crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different defoliation frequencies on forage production and nutritive value of the Phalaris aquatica L. variety Soukra under field conditions in Tunis, Tunisia, over a period of 12 weeks. We tested four defoliation frequencies: (1) severe, (2) moderate, (3) infrequent, and (4) control. The growth responses measured were plant tiller number (NT), dry matter production (DM), and relative leaf regrowth rate (RLR). DM under the severe and moderate defoliation frequencies was 7% and 41% less than under control defoliation, respectively. However, DM production under infrequent defoliation was 91% and 43% higher than under severe and moderate defoliation. The relative leaf regrowth rate was affected by defoliation frequency; the highest regrowth rate was under severe treatment. However, tillering of P. aquatica was reduced under the severe and moderate frequencies of defoliation. Under increased defoliation frequencies, concentrations of secondary metabolites significantly decreased; total polyphenol content, flavonoid content, and tannin contents were higher in control and infrequent than in moderate and severe treatments. Antioxidant activity also decreased significantly with defoliation compared to the control treatment. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in ABTS (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) among the defoliation frequencies. Pearson's r correlation and PCA (Principal component analysis) data revealed that growth parameters, secondary metabolites, and antioxidant activity have positive and negative correlations in distinguishing the control and defoliation treatments. Results indicate that P. aquatica management should target moderate harvest rates in the adoption of perennial grass forage production systems in Tunisia. Use of perennial grasses for forage production can contribute to sustained production, food security, and rural livelihoods, and move farming systems towards providing multiple economic, environmental, and social benefits. Keywords: ABTS, Defoliation frequency, DPPH, Flavonoids, Growth responses, Matter production, Perennial grasses, Phalaris, Polyphenols.