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Performance of Tall Fescue Germplasms Bred for High‐ and Low‐Ergot Alkaloids
Author(s) -
Hill N. S.,
Bouton J. H.,
Thompson F. N.,
Hawkins L.,
Hoveland C. S.,
McCann M. A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2002.5180
Subject(s) - neotyphodium , festuca arundinacea , germplasm , biology , pasture , cynodon dactylon , alkaloid , grazing , endophyte , agronomy , botany , horticulture , poaceae , lolium perenne
Field studies were conducted to examine yield, alkaloid stability, stand survival, and animal toxicity in tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Shreb.) germplasms, infected with their endemic endophyte [ Neotyphodium coenophialum (Morgan‐Jones and Gams) Glenn, Bacon, and Hanlin] and bred for high‐ or low‐alkaloid concentration. Three germplasms selected from endophyte‐infected (E+) ‘Jesup’ for low‐alkaloid and two germplasms selected for high‐alkaloid, along with E+ and endophyte‐free (E−) Jesup, E+ and E− ‘Kentucky‐31’, and E− ‘AU Triumph’ tall fescue were planted at a mountain and a piedmont location in Georgia, and the forage harvested for 3 yr. Yield was calculated and alkaloid concentration was measured. In separate experiments, stand survival of one high‐ and one low‐alkaloid germplasm was assessed in bermudagrass [ Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] sod by grazing with beef cattle. Toxicity was assessed on one low‐alkaloid germplasm in lamb performance trials. Yields of the low‐ and high‐alkaloid germplasms were similar to the E+ Jesup cultivar. The low‐ and high‐alkaloid germplasms remained low and high in alkaloids, respectively. The E+ check and the germplasms bred for both high‐ and low‐ergot alkaloid concentration were found to have superior stand survival compared with the E− check, but the low‐alkaloid germplasm had lower stand survival than the E+ check. Lambs grazing the low‐alkaloid germplasm showed weight gain ranking between those on E+ and E− pasture. This study indicates that persistence and alkaloid concentration were stable over environments; however, animal toxicity and the stand reduction exhibited by the low‐alkaloid producing germplasm raises when grazed questions about breeding for reduced alkaloid concentration.