Track 2‐6‐1: Developing Intensive and Extensive Forage Production with Environment Friendly Technologies and Adoption of Mechanization
Description
Researchers are continuously searching for species that can improve the productivity and sustainability of pasture systems under adverse environmental conditions such as drought and extreme temperatures. Plant breeders have bred hybrids between ryegrass (Lolium spp.) and Fescue (Festuca spp.) in an attempt to combine the high forage quality of the former with the stress tolerance of the latter (Kopecky et al., 2008; Akgun et al., 2008). The resultant hybrids are commonly referred to as Festulolium spp. These species include Festulolium pabulare which is a cross between Tall Fescue (F. arundinacea) and Italian ryegrass (L. multiflorum var. italicum), and Festulolium braunii, which is a cross between Meadow Fescue (F. pratensis) and Italian ryegrass. All hybrids are back-crossed with their fescue or ryegrass parent species to obtain festucoid and loloid varieties, respectively. There is currently limited scientific data describing the production potential of such Festulolium varieties compared to that of ryegrass and fescue under irrigation in the Southern Cape of South Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the dry matter production potential of Festuca spp., Lolium spp. and Festulolium spp. in the southern Cape of South Africa.
Citation
van der Colf, Janke and Botha, Philip R., "The Production Potential of Festuca spp., Lolium spp. and Festulolium Hybrids in the Southern Cape of South Africa" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 13.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/2-6-1/13
Included in
The Production Potential of Festuca spp., Lolium spp. and Festulolium Hybrids in the Southern Cape of South Africa
Researchers are continuously searching for species that can improve the productivity and sustainability of pasture systems under adverse environmental conditions such as drought and extreme temperatures. Plant breeders have bred hybrids between ryegrass (Lolium spp.) and Fescue (Festuca spp.) in an attempt to combine the high forage quality of the former with the stress tolerance of the latter (Kopecky et al., 2008; Akgun et al., 2008). The resultant hybrids are commonly referred to as Festulolium spp. These species include Festulolium pabulare which is a cross between Tall Fescue (F. arundinacea) and Italian ryegrass (L. multiflorum var. italicum), and Festulolium braunii, which is a cross between Meadow Fescue (F. pratensis) and Italian ryegrass. All hybrids are back-crossed with their fescue or ryegrass parent species to obtain festucoid and loloid varieties, respectively. There is currently limited scientific data describing the production potential of such Festulolium varieties compared to that of ryegrass and fescue under irrigation in the Southern Cape of South Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the dry matter production potential of Festuca spp., Lolium spp. and Festulolium spp. in the southern Cape of South Africa.
