Abstract: Morphological, physiological and demographic responses to defoliation and grazing encompass the ecological scales of tillers, plants and populations within grassland communities. The ability of individual plants to regrow following defoliation is a multi-facetted process including the meristematic potential and compensatory physiological processes of individual plants, intra- and inter-specific competition of plants, and abiotic variables within the enviroment. The inherent morphological and physiological attributes of individual plants establish the potentialing for regrowth while the intensity of plant competition, resource availability and enviroment conditions constrain the extent to which this regrowth potentiality is realized.

Key words: Qin-Ba mountainous area of southern Shaanxi, rice, fertilization, evaluation.