Effect of cutting stubble on seed yield and yield components of Russian wildrye　

Post harvest stubble management is essential for optimizing grass seed yield in next year. The field experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of cutting time and stubble height on seed yield and seed yield components of Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea). The results indicated that the treatments of cutting time and stubble height significantly affected the number of fertile tillers per square meter and seed yield. The maximums of fertile tillers and seed yield were obtained with the treatments of cutting stubble immediately after harvesting and ground level stubble height. The effects of cutting time and stubble height on spikelets per fertile tiller, florets per spikelet, seeds per spikelet, and 1000seed weight were not significantly different (P0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a consistent positive relationship between the number of fertile tillers per square meter and seed yield under the treatments of stubble height and cutting time.