Publication Date
1989
Description
A selection program was initiated in 1975 to select for high (H) - and low (L)-LAER in a broad-based population of tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) to improve vegetative herbage yield (Nelson and Sleper, 1983). Response to divergent selection was linear and symmetric for five cycles (Reeder et al., 1984). Mean increase in selecting for H-LAER was greater than 10 % per cycle ; a mean decrease of more than 8 % per cycle was observed when selecting for L-LAER. Nelson et al. (1977) and Reeder et al. (1984) showed that HLAER genotypes had wider leaves and higher leaf elongation rates, the opposite from L-LAER genotypes. Under conditions of low competition, H-LAER genotypes have fewer tillers per plant than L-LAER genotypes, but higher yield per tiller (Zarrough et al. 1983a, b). It was hypothesized that these distinct morphological types would perform differently. Our objective was to evaluate herbage yield of the divergent H- and L-LAER selections in various proportions under different harvest frequencies.
Citation
Sleper, D A. and Nelson, C J., "Productivity of Selected High and Low Leaf Area Expansion Festuca arundinacea Strains" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 41.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session3b/41
Included in
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Productivity of Selected High and Low Leaf Area Expansion Festuca arundinacea Strains
A selection program was initiated in 1975 to select for high (H) - and low (L)-LAER in a broad-based population of tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) to improve vegetative herbage yield (Nelson and Sleper, 1983). Response to divergent selection was linear and symmetric for five cycles (Reeder et al., 1984). Mean increase in selecting for H-LAER was greater than 10 % per cycle ; a mean decrease of more than 8 % per cycle was observed when selecting for L-LAER. Nelson et al. (1977) and Reeder et al. (1984) showed that HLAER genotypes had wider leaves and higher leaf elongation rates, the opposite from L-LAER genotypes. Under conditions of low competition, H-LAER genotypes have fewer tillers per plant than L-LAER genotypes, but higher yield per tiller (Zarrough et al. 1983a, b). It was hypothesized that these distinct morphological types would perform differently. Our objective was to evaluate herbage yield of the divergent H- and L-LAER selections in various proportions under different harvest frequencies.
