COMPARISON OF SEEDLING GROWTH OF ROUGH FESCUE AND TALL FESCUE

Seedlings of a native grass, rough fescue, Festuca scabrella Torr., and of a tame grass, tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea Schreb., were grown in the greenhouse for 10 weeks. Each week 20 plants of each species were destructively harvested for growth analysis. Leaf and tiller numbers and leaf lengths were recorded for an additional 10 plants of each species. Mean net assimilation rates of rough fescue were similar to those of tall fescue, but leaf area ratios were significantly lower. Thus, mean relative growth rates of rough fescue were less than those of tall fescue. Tiller numbers were similar for both species but rough fescue produced fewer leaves. Dry weight of tops of the tame grass produced during the 10-week period was about 17 times that produced by the native grass.