Biomass partitioning in Paspalum notatum stands on slope relief in the anthropic savanna of Cuba

The average total aboveground biomass and total underground biomass ranged respectively, from 626 to 1358 and from 1182 to 1735 g.m^-2 in three Paspalum notatum stands growing in different parts of a slope relief representing a soil catena in the anthropic savanna of northwestern Cuba. The more favourable the water and nutrition regime of habitat (towards the lowest part of the relief) the greater was the living aboveground biomass (649 g.m^-2) and living rhizome biomass (1023 g.m^-2) and smaller was the amount of living roots (99 g.m^-2). The proportion of the total biomass occuring aboveground increased (from 34.1 to 43.9 %) while that in underground decreased (from 65.9 to 56.1 %) from the upper to the lowest part of the relief, while the proportion of living rhizomes increased (from 38.5 to 57.7 %), but that of the living root biomass decreased (from 17.8 to 5.6 %).