Publication Date
1989
Description
The potential for combining traits from broadly adapted Festuca with more highly specialised Lolium has been investigated for many years especially with regard to cytological behaviour (Breese et al., 1981). In the USA, efforts to increase the nutritive value of tall fescue through hybrids with ryegrasses succeeded in producing the variety Kenhy (Buckner et al., 1977). So far, Lolium/Fescue hybrids have not been able to compete commercially with more productive ryegrasses in intensive UK farming systems (Breese and Lewis, 1984). However, with recent economic changes in European agriculture there is a need for more efficient, lower input grassland systems. Hence the less nutrient demanding and more stress tolerant features of fescues have assumed greater importance, The agriculturally undeveloped species F. gigantea (giant fescue) has many morphological features of Bromus sp. and produces a mass of very large soft leaves of high nutritive value during mid-summer when ryegrasses tend to be less productive and more susceptible to drought. Unlike many grasses of agronomic value it is self fertile. However, it has some disadvantages, particularly associated with seed dormancy and slow sward establishment. In this paper work is reported on the breeding and agronomic features of ryegrass-giant fescue amphiploids and the potential for their improvement.
Citation
Humphreys, M O.; Thomas, H; and Tyler, B F., "The Potential of Lolium multiflorum x Festuca gigantea Hybrids" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 34.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session3/34
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Potential of Lolium multiflorum x Festuca gigantea Hybrids
The potential for combining traits from broadly adapted Festuca with more highly specialised Lolium has been investigated for many years especially with regard to cytological behaviour (Breese et al., 1981). In the USA, efforts to increase the nutritive value of tall fescue through hybrids with ryegrasses succeeded in producing the variety Kenhy (Buckner et al., 1977). So far, Lolium/Fescue hybrids have not been able to compete commercially with more productive ryegrasses in intensive UK farming systems (Breese and Lewis, 1984). However, with recent economic changes in European agriculture there is a need for more efficient, lower input grassland systems. Hence the less nutrient demanding and more stress tolerant features of fescues have assumed greater importance, The agriculturally undeveloped species F. gigantea (giant fescue) has many morphological features of Bromus sp. and produces a mass of very large soft leaves of high nutritive value during mid-summer when ryegrasses tend to be less productive and more susceptible to drought. Unlike many grasses of agronomic value it is self fertile. However, it has some disadvantages, particularly associated with seed dormancy and slow sward establishment. In this paper work is reported on the breeding and agronomic features of ryegrass-giant fescue amphiploids and the potential for their improvement.
