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Genetic Variation and Relationship of Quality Traits between Herbage and Seed of Tall Fescue

INTA, CC 128, (3100) Parana-Entre Rios, Republica Argentina

David A. Sleper^* and Craig A. Roberts

Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, 65211

Gary F. Krause

Dep. of Statistics, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, 65211

^* Corresponding author.

Information is lacking on inheritance of in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and hemicellulose (HEM) of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) seed and their relationship to these quality traits in herbage. if a close relationship were found between seed and herbage quality, indirect selection for improved herbage quality would be effective. Objectives of this study were to evaluate genetic variation for these quality traits and yield of herbage and seed and to examine association of these quality parameters between seed and herbage. Twenty-three endophyte-free parents were randomly chosen from a genetically broad-based population, and their respective half-sib families were generated. Herbage and seed samples were analyzed for quality parameters using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Significant (P < 0.01) variation was observed in herbage for all traits in the summer (immediately after seed harvest) and the fall for parents. There was no significant variation for IVDMD of herbage in summer or fall or for NDF and ADF in the summer for half-sib families. For seed, all traits had highly significant variation. Narrow-sense heritabilities for herbage ranged from 0% for IVDMD, NDF, and yield in the summer to 71% for HEM in the summer. Narrow-sense heritability of IVDMD for seed was 78%. Heritabilities from herbage estimated by genotypic regressions were higher, ranging from 26% for IVDMD in the summer to 80% for NDF. Seed traits had a similar relationship, with genotypic regression heritabilities ranging from 62% for IVDMD to 86% for NDF. Correlation coefficients of quality traits between herbage and seed were low. Data indicated that indirect selection for improved forage quality via the seed is not useful. Selection for herbage quality directly would also be difficult because gains from selection were low.

Received for publication December 4, 1992.

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