Structures and growth analysis of Puccinellia tenuiflora clone at the vegetative stage after fruiting in the Songnen Plains of China

Using a random sampling method, an entire tiller tuft was dug out of the soil at the vegetative stage after fruiting in a single dominant community, and the module structures and growth pattern of Puccinellia tenuiflora clones were quantitatively analyzed in the natural meadow in the Songnen Plains of China. The results showed that the total number of modules was 49.0729.74, in which the jointing tillers was 53.3% and young tillers was 46.7%. The total biomass of clone was 2.541.57 g, in which the jointing and the young tillers were 90.7% and 9.3%, respectively. With increase of tuft diameters, the number of jointing tillers and young tillers, the biomass of jointing tiller were all in a linear increase, while the total number of modules and the total biomass of clone were both increased by power function; and the biomass of young tillers was in a logarithmic function increase. In addition, the biomass of jointing tillers had a linear relationship with the number of jointing tillers, so was the total biomass of clone and the total number of modules. The relationship between the biomass and the number of young tillers was a power function. These correlation coefficients were all very significant (P0.01) each other.