Changing biomass allocation patterns and resource allocation is an important strategy for plants to adapt to environmental changes. We studied the effects of rest grazing in different periods of spring on plant biomass allocation in alpine meadow and provided a basis for grazing management. In this experiment, we studied the effects of different periods of rest grazing included soil thawing critical period to plant withering period (RP1), early grass returning green period to plant withering period (RP2) and local traditional rest grazing to plant withering period (RP3) on the biomass allocation and the length of aboveground and underground plants of 21 species. The results showed that compared with the RP3 and RP2, the RP1 could promote growth of the length of aboveground and underground plants and promote the increase of plant biomass. Compared with the RP3, the aboveground and underground plant length of 21 plants in the RP1 increased by 14 %∼138 % and 6 %∼163 %; the leaf biomass, stem biomass and belowground biomass increased by 17 %∼310 %, 11 %∼268 % and 7 %∼350 %, respectively; and the leaf biomass and belowground biomass of Leguminosae in RP1 increased by 163 % and 293 %, respectively, the stem biomass and reproductive biomass of Cyperaceae increased by 279 % and 447 %, respectively. Also, the RP1 significantly promoted the root biomass of >5 cm depth. Therefore, rest grazing on alpine meadow before soil thawing can promote the accumulation of plant biomass, promote the growth of plant roots in deeper soil, and accumulate more biomass.
Keywords: Alpine meadow; Biomass fractions; Economic groups; Individual plant; Plant community; Spring rest grazing.
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