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Instability of the Greens‐Type Phenotype in Poa annua L.
Author(s) -
La Mantia Jonathan M.,
Huff David R.
Publication year - 2011
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/cropsci2010.10.0580
Subject(s) - biology , phenotype , genetics , inflorescence , weed , perennial plant , poa annua , inheritance (genetic algorithm) , tiller (botany) , gene , botany
The turfgrass species Poa annua L. is most prevalent as an invasive, annual weed in managed turfs. Conversely, the dwarf perennial greens‐type biotype produces a high turf quality with great utility to the golf‐course industry. In the past 60 yr, several attempts have been made to breed a commercial cultivar of the greens‐type biotype with little sustained success. Here, we characterize the morphological traits of the greens‐type phenotype and investigate its inheritance and stability through genetic crosses. The results indicate that the greens‐type phenotype links single‐branching inflorescences with reductions in culm length, tiller length, leaf length, and panicle length to a single genetic mechanism. However, in advanced‐generation progeny, the segregation of the greens‐type phenotype does not conform to the disomic single‐gene inheritance model. Tetrasomic inheritance, gene complementation, and quantitative inheritance models are also presented. These results, along with the observation of somatic reversions, suggest that the greens‐type phenotype is unstable and may be regulated by an epigenetic mechanism.