In this species, like in all forage grasses, leaf length is an important trait affecting: i) vegetative yield [ 10- 12], ii) intake rate by dairy cows [ 13], iii) plant survival under light competition conditions [ 14].
An early review described the effects of doubling the CO2 concentration on 37 different plant species, including agricultural crops, herbaceous species and woody ornamentals, and concluded that the doubled CO2 levels increased the grain and vegetative yield by an average of 33% compared to ambient controls.
Kim et al. reported that the expression of three BrFLC genes (BrFLC1, BrFLC2, BrFLC3) was associated with flowering time and concluded that BrFLC genes act similarly to AtFLC and ultimately help in controlling of flowering time in B. rapa and other crops as well to produce higher vegetative yields [ 40].
From 1978 (Continella 1978; Calabrese et al. 1980), many cultivars were studied in Sicily with interesting results in terms of vegetative performances, yield, and fruit quality with the best observed results for Hass, Reed, and Bacon cultivars (De Michele et al. 2007).
Moyin-Jesu (2013a) also reported that nitrogen increased the vegetative and yield performance of garden egg crop.
Despite minor differences in vegetative characteristics, yield:cane mass ratios indicated that growth balances were affected by row orientation.
Three known stages of the plant – vegetative (V), yield formation (F), and ripening (R) – were considered, and a total of 14 irrigation treatments (including rain-fed) were applied.
A study was conducted at the International Rice Research Institute in the 2003 wet season and 2004 dry season to evaluate the effects of genotype, seeding rate, seed priming and their interactions on vegetative growth, yield and weed suppression.
This study addressed the vegetative development, yield, and root development of coffee during cultivation in the absence and presence of drip irrigation and in different population arrangements over five years.
Results of this 3-year study show that all vegetative and yield parameters were significantly affected by water shortage in the soil profile due to omitted irrigation during the sensitive tasselling and cob formation stages.
In grapevines, non-uniform irrigation and heterogeneous soil type across a vineyard lead to inconsistent vegetative growth, yield and berry composition (Trought 1997; Bramley et al. 2011).
