Open AccessHigh neotyphodium infection frequencies in tillers and seed of infected wild tall fescue plants
Author(s) -
Stephen L. Clement,
Leslie R. Elberson,
M. Kynaston
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
grassland research and practice series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2463-4751
pISSN - 0110-8581
DOI - 10.33584/rps.13.2006.3084
Subject(s) - neotyphodium , endophyte , tiller (botany) , biology , germination , accession , agronomy , botany , horticulture , poaceae , european union , lolium perenne , business , economic policy
This research quantified frequencies of Neotyphodium infected (E+) tillers and mature seed from field-grown E+ plants of two wild tall fescue accessions from Morocco and Sardinia, Italy. Tiller infection rates were 100% (n = 50 from 10 E+ plants/accession) for each accession and over 99% of the seed (n = 2394) from E+ plants of both accessions harboured viable Neotyphodium endophyte. Germination rates for E+ seed were 93.8% (Morocco accession) and 97.8% (Sardinia). These results indicate that E+ wild tall fescue plants are capable of near perfect vertical transmission of viable endophyte into seed. They also suggest that viable endophyte is retained with current seedregeneration protocols at the USDA-ARS Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman, Washington USA. Keywords: wild tall fescue, Neotyphodium infection frequencies, vertical transmission