GENETIC VARIATION AND CORRELATION OF AGRONOMIC TRAITS IN TALL FESCUE (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) GERMPLASM

1983 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. A. de ARAUJO ◽  
B. E. COULMAN ◽  
M. A. FARIS ◽  
C. WROBEL

Sixty-seven accessions of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were studied for total genetic variability and phenotypic and genotypic correlations among eight traits. The traits were annual dry matter yield, height, spreading ability, volume, first cut recovery, second cut recovery, incidence of diseases and number of days to heading. Highly significant differences existed among accessions for all characters. The ratios of genetic to phenotypic variances were relatively high in magnitude for most of the traits, except first cut recovery and disease score, indicating that most of the characters were mainly under genetic control. However, the ratios of genotype × year interactions to phenotypic variances were quite large for some characters, particularly second cut recovery. Genotypic and phenotypic correlations were obtained between the different characters measured. Genotypic correlations were slightly higher than phenotypic correlations for most of the traits. Annual dry matter yield was significantly and positively correlated, with all traits measured with the exception of disease incidence where this association was negative. Selection for yield using heading date and height as an index may be possible in the development of superior tall fescue cultivars. Certain accessions appeared to have good yielding capacity, being superior to the check cultivar, Alta, in this character. These accessions were also as winterhardy as the check, and thus could prove useful as source material in a breeding program.Key words: Phenotypic correlation, genotypic correlation, genotype × year interactions

1989 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 301 ◽  
Author(s):  
WD Bellotti ◽  
GJ Blair

'Demeter' tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and 'Victorian' perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were sown separately into a white clover (Trifolium repens L.) dominant pasture in June 1981. Eight sowing methods were compared to assess the ability of perennial grasses to establish from direct drill sowing methods relative to conventional seedbed and aerial sowing methods. Within direct drill treatments, two drill implements were factorially combined with three herbicide treatments. Pasture production and botanical composition were sampled over a 27 month period following sowing. After a dry summer, 22 months after sowing, sown grasses dominated pasture composition (69-94% of total dry matter yield) in the high yielding treatments. At this time, the successful direct drill treatments were similar in yield to the conventional seedbed treatment. Within direct drill treatments, sowing implement had little effect on yield and composition, whereas herbicide application markedly increased sown grass yield. Pre-sowing blanket application of herbicide in the triple disc treatment increased tall fescue yield from 82 to 1504 kg ha-1 and perennial ryegrass yield from 98 to 807 kg ha-1. An inverse relationship was described between dry matter present at sowing and eventual yield of sown grasses. These perennial grasses can be successfully established by using direct drill sowing methods provided resident vegetation is adequately suppressed.


1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 806 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Hill

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), prairie grass (Bromus catharticus Vahl) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were direct-drilled into paspalum and kikuyu pastures at Camden (1980-83) and Bega (1 982) in New South Wales. Prior to sowing, pastures were either slashed or slashed and sprayed with herbicide. In 1980, paraquat (0.28 kg a.i./ha) and glyphosate (0.5 kg a.i./ha) were compared with slashing-only at a March sowing. In 1982 and 1983, glyphosate only was compared with slashing, and grasses were sown on four occasions at 5-week intervals from late January or mid- February to early June. Seedlings were counted and weights of individual seedlings were measured at about 5 weeks after sowing, and pasture yield and species composition were measured 10 weeks after sowing, at the end of winter, and on selected plots, in winter in the following year. In 1980, plant density and dry matter yield at the first harvest of prairie grass and tall fescue was better from plots treated with glyphosate than from those treated with paraquat or slashed-only. However, plant density and dry matter yield of ryegrass was unaffected by preparation. In 1982 and 1983, plant densities 5 weeks after sowing increased with the use of glyphosate, and with later sowing. Prairie grass was least sensitive to sowing time establishing similar populations of between 50 and 150 seedlings/m2 from February to May. Tall fescue only established satisfactory seedling populations (50 to 200 seedlings/m2) at April and May-June sowings with glyphosate; it required suppression of competition, and low temperatures for faster growth than kikuyu and paspalum. The use of glyphosate reduced total pasture production during the first 10 weeks from 5 to 3 t/ha, but the contribution of sown grasses was increased. Winter production was greatest from sowings in March and April. Italian ryegrass always produced significant quantities of dry matter at the first cut and in winter; tall fescue was never productive in the first year. Persistence of prairie grass and tall fescue from 1982 sowings until 1983 was good, and highest tiller densities of 300-400 and 800 tillers/m2 respectively occurred from April sowings with glyphosate. Between June and September 1983, prairie grass and tall fescue from these plots produced about 3 and 2 t/ha of dry matter respectively. As seedling vigour declined from Italian ryegrass to prairie grass to tall fescue, conditions required for successful establishment became more stringent. Persistence and production of perennials was excellent if sown at the right time to encounter favourable temperatures, and competition was suppressed. Mixtures thus established need to be assessed on a paddock scale under grazing to determine their final viability.


Author(s):  
D.R. Stevens ◽  
M.J. Hickey

This study measured total dry matter production and botanical composition of binary mixtures of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), ryegrass (Lolium perenne) or tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), as a replacement series in proportions of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100 from June 1987 until May 1993. The binary mixtures were sown in March 1986 with white clover, on an occasionally drought affected Kaweku silt loam, with an average annual rainfall of 750 mm near Riversdale, in Southland. Mixtures with ryegrass were allowed a 6-month establishment period before ryegrass was overdrilled in early October 1986. Total yields of ryegrass/cocksfoot mixtures increased as ryegrass seeding rate increased. Clover yields were generally unaffected. Mixtures of cocksfoot/tall fescue produced more sown grass than either species sown alone. This lowered clover and other grass yields, resulting in no total dry matter yield improvement in mixtures compared to pure sowings. Tall fescue/ ryegrass mixtures were competitive in winter and spring with lower total yields than either species sown alone. This competition also lowered other grass yields. During summer and autumn the total production increased as the amount of ryegrass increased. Seed mixtures with two perennial temperate pasture grasses did not provide any extra pasture production in a cool temperate environment under infrequent hard grazing management. The best choice for the region would be the grass that provided the greatest dry matter yield. Other components such as clover may be reduced when mixing grasses. Keywords: cocksfoot, competition, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, Lolium perenne, mixtures, pasture yield, replacement series, ryegrass, tall fescue, white clover


2007 ◽  
Vol 302 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 283-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn E. Shewmaker ◽  
Douglas A. Johnson ◽  
Henry F. Mayland

HortScience ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 1391-1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.D. Brede

A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cultivar, seeding rate, N fertilization rate, and cutting height on the severity of dollar spot (Lanzia and Moellerodiscus spp.) disease incidence. All possible two-factor interactions among these four management factors were statistically significant when averaged over the 2 years of study. Disease severity tended to be lowest at low fescue seeding rate (2100 pure-live seeds/m*) at the lower (19 mm) height of cut. `Mustang', the turf-type cultivar with improved density, was more susceptible to dollar spot than `Kentucky-31', the common-type cultivar.


2016 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Hendriks ◽  
D.J. Donaghy ◽  
C. Matthew ◽  
M.R. Bretherton ◽  
N.W. Sneddon ◽  
...  

Alternative pasture species with the potential to supply quality forage during summer feed shortages, such as tall fescue (TF), are of interest to dairy farmers. A paddockscale study was undertaken to compare performance of TF managed on a shorter rotation similar to perennial ryegrass (RG) (TF-RG) with TF managed on a longer rotation more consistent with its morphology of 4 live leaves/tiller (TF-TF), and with RG (RG-RG). Accumulated dry matter (DM) yields were similar for the three treatments. Patch grazing was observed during the first spring, with more long patches in TFTF than in either TF-RG or RG-RG. Sown-species leaf area index (LAI) was greater in TF-TF compared with TF-RG and RG-RG (2.25, 1.56 and 0.90, respectively; P


PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e0133054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhong Lou ◽  
Longxing Hu ◽  
Liang Chen ◽  
Xiaoyan Sun ◽  
Yong Yang ◽  
...  

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