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Genetic, Morphological, and Agronomic Characteristics of Lolium-Festuca Amphiploids¹

Lolium-Festuca hybridization provides a wide range of genetic variability when breeding for improved forage quality of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). Crosses were made among Italian ryegrass (a) (Lolium multifiorum Lam.) and tall fescue (t) amphiploids (2n = 56 chromosomes) and giant fescue (g) [F. gigantea (L). Vill.] and (t) hybrids (tg) with amphiploids (2n = 56) of Italian ryegrass and tall fescue (AT) with the objectives of determining the effect of cytoplasm on restoration of meiotic stability and fertility and of comparing the nutritive and agronomic performance and amphiploids with ryegrass and tall fescue cultivars. Parents and polycross progenies (pcp) of (tg)AT x (at)AT[F₁(tg), tall fescue x giant fescue, 2n=42 x AT, Italian ryegrass x tall fescue amphiploid, 2n = 56] x [F₁, (at), Italian ryegrass x tall fescue, 2n = 28 x AT, Italian ryegrass x tall fescue amphiploid, 2n=56] and their reciprocal (at)AT X (tg)AT amphiploids; and of (tg) AT x (tg) AT parents and pep were evaluated in spaced plant rows in separate tests but in close proximity. Plants containing (t) and (a) cytoplasms had 92.3 and 61.9% 2n=56 chromosomes, respectively. Thus, the approach to meiotic stability was more rapid in (t) cytoplasm; however, cytoplasm appeared to have little effect on percent fertile florets and seed yield. All amphiploids had 79% less seed than the (t) check. Narrow sense heritability estimates for fertile florets were higher for (tg)AT x (tg)AT (0.82) than for the (tg)AT x (at)AT (0.38) materials. A correlation coefficient of 0.58 (P<0.05) was obtained for association of parents and pep for seed/panicle. Thus, the data suggest that further improvement for meiotic stability and fertility may be realized through selection within both groups of amphiploids. The amphiploid synthetic when compared in solid stands to (t) cultivars and ‘Grimalda’ perennial ryegrass (L. Perenne L) had significantly lower seed yields than all cultivars except ‘Missouri 96’ (t) and Grimalda, were intermediate in forage quality, and had dry matter yields significantly lower than (t) cultivars but equal to Grimalda. Nutritive value index (NVI) of 68 or above was obtained consistently for the amphiploids during the August environmental stress period. Thus, NVI values of 70 or above possibly could be obtained through selection within these hybrids.

Key Words: Tall fescue • Giant fescue • Italian ryegrass • Nutritive value • Fertility • Seed yields • Forage yields • Cytoplasm

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

Received for publication July 20, 1984.

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