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Inheritance of Leaf-Width and Seed Yield Characteristics of Lolium-Festuca Hybrid Derivatives¹

The appearance and acceptance of tall rescue for turf purposes maybe improved by reducing its leaf width. Flag leaf width was used as a criterion for improving turf texture of Lolium-Festuchay brid derivatives. The objective of the study was to determine whether flag leaf width and concomitant fine texture characteristics of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) x tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and {tall fescue x giant rescue [F. gigantea (L.) Vill.]} x [annual ryegrass (L. multiflorum Lam.) tall fescue hybridd derivatives were heritable. Parents (G₀), first (G₁), and second (G₂) generation progenies were grown as spaced plants, seeded rows, and solid seeded sod plots, respectively. The fine-leaf characteris genetically controlled having a different expression in competitive stands as compared to spaced plants or rows. Significant differences obtained among lines for leaf width indicated considerable genetic variability for the character. Nonsignificant line x generation and line x year interaction indicated that flag-leaf width was not influenced greatly by management or environment. Regression of G₂ polycross progenies on parents gave an estimated narrow sense heritability value of 0.70 indicating that a large fraction of the phenotypic differences between parents maybe recovered in the offspring. Leaf width of G₂ polycross progenies was significantly less than that of widely used commercially available cultivars indicating that progress was made in improving turf texture of the population through breeding. A study of the genetic variability of seed yields of the hybrid derivatives showed that seed production compared favorably with tall rescue, that seed production was heritable, and that sufficient genetic variability exists for improving seed yield of the fine-leaf turf types through breeding.

Key Words: Tall fescue • Giant fescue • Perennial ryegrass • Annual ryegrass • Flag leaf • Genetic variability • Polycross progenies • Narrow sense heritability

² Research agronomists, USDA-ARS, and professor, Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091.

Received for publication June 10, 1982.