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a Texas A&M Univ. Agric. REC, P.O. Box 200, Overton, TX 75684
b Texas A&M Univ. REC, 17360 Coit Rd, Dallas, TX 75252-6599
c Dept. of Soil & Crop Sci, Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX 77843-2474
d Blue Moon Farms, 811 Mountain River Dr., Lebanon, OR 97355
* Corresponding author (lr-nelson{at}tamu.edu)
‘Axcella’ (Reg. no. CV-211, PI 614844) annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was developed by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) as a cool-season turfgrass. Axcella was tested under the experimental designation Turf 92 and released by TAES in 2000. Axcella is a diploid (2n = 2x = 14).
Annual ryegrass is often used as a winter lawn grass in the southern USA, and during the spring months mowing of such a lawn is laborious and time consuming. A slow-growing annual ryegrass would be useful to a homeowner. Consequently, a program to select for leafy, dwarf-type plants was initiated. In 1991, 18 plants that were dwarf in stature compared with other plants were selected from forage-type breeding populations of annual ryegrass at Overton, TX. These populations had parents such as ‘Gulf’, ‘TAM 90’ (Nelson et al., 1992), and ‘Marshall’, as well as experimental breeding lines. These populations were winter-hardy and, with the exception of Marshall, resistant to crown rust caused by Puccinia coronate Corda. These 18 dwarf plants produced a high number of tillers and had narrow leaves.
The plants were transplanted to an isolation block and allowed to cross-pollinate and produce seed. Seed from individual plants was harvested and kept separate. Seed was determined to be free of endophyte caused by Neotyphodium occutans C.D. Moon, B. Scott, & M.J. Christensen, sp. Nov. (Moon et al., 2000) and was subsequently bulked. During the 1992–1993 growing season, seed from this bulk was screened for Al tolerance utilizing the hematoxylin staining procedure (Polle et al., 1978). Approximately 450 Al-tolerant seedlings were transplanted to the field at Overton. These plants were evaluated as spaced-plants, and all plants exhibiting high forage growth and normal leaf width were eliminated from the population. Two hundred dwarf plants remained at the end of the growing season and were allowed to cross-pollinate and produce seed. Plants were also selected for dark green color of leaves and freedom from frost injury (leaf tip burn) after periods of freezing weather. All plants exhibiting crown rust or barley yellow dwarf virus symptoms were eliminated from the population. Seed from this population was harvested and bulked in 1992. In 1997, approximately 0.33 ha of spaced plants was grown near Lebanon, OR. Non-dwarf plants accounted for approximately 5% of the population and were eliminated. In 1998–1999, a seed increase of 3 ha was grown near Albany, OR. This population was rogued twice at heading time to eliminate robust or tall plants prior to pollination. Approximately 2500 kg of Breeder seed was produced in 1999.
Crown rust data recorded at Beaumont, TX in 1997 indicate that Axcella is moderately resistant to crown rust. Axcella is less tolerant to crown rust than TAM 90 (resistant cultivar), but more resistant than Marshall (susceptible). Mean heading date at Overton in 1998 was 5 d later that TAM 90 and 12 d later than Gulf annual ryegrass. Axcella exhibited 99% fluorescent root-tips, indicating that it should be classified as an annual. Axcella had a smaller crown width of 71 cm, compared with 98 and 102 cm for the forage type Gulf and TAM 90, respectively. Leaf width on 10 Feb. and flag leaf width on 11 May for Axcella were much narrower than Gulf or TAM 90. Tiller number per plant on 10 Feb. for Axcella, Gulf, and TAM 90 was 92, 71, and 62, respectively. Spike number per plant on 11 May was 31, 33, and 36, respectively, for Axcella, Gulf, and TAM 90. Plant height of seed heads at maturity was 84, 105, and 108 cm for Axcella, Gulf, and TAM 90, respectively.
When planted in a bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) sod in east Texas, Axcella ryegrass will transition out (die) by mid-May compared with mid-June for turf-type perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Axcella is much less competitive with the bermudagrass compared with perennial ryegrass and allows a smooth transition to the warm season turf. Color of Axcella is slightly darker than Gulf, but less dark compared with ‘Gettysburg’ perennial ryegrass.
Breeder seed of Axcella is maintained by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with CEBECO International Seeds, Halsey, OR. CEBECO International Seeds will be responsible for producing Foundation, Registered, and Certified classes of seed. Seed is available for research and testing purposes from L.R. Nelson. U.S. Plant Variety Protection has been applied for.
NOTES
Accepted for publication April 30, 2001.
REFERENCES
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