The growth and development of forage plants have a major affect on how plants respond to harvest management and on forage quality. By understanding these effects the forage manager can optimize the production and utilization of forages. Growth is the process by which a plant increases in the number and size of leaves and stems. The result of plant growth is forage production and the amount harvested by animal or machine is forage yield. The growth of both plants and animals requires energy.
Animals get their energy by digesting the plants they eat.
Plants get their energy from the sun through photosynthesis. The plant then uses these sugars to make more complex sugars and starches for storage as energy reserves, to make cellulose and hemicellulose for cell walls or with nitrogen, to make proteins. How the plant uses its energy depends on the developmental stage of the plant and on environmental conditions. When leaves are removed from a grass or clover plant, new leaves develop and grow from buds on the crown or stems of the plant. Manipulating this cycle is a useful tool in managing forages.