Breeding Perennial Ryegrass with Enhanced Water Soluble Carbohydrate Content

Abstract

A high water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content in perennial ryegrass leads to a more efficient use of the protein in the grass by the ruminant and hence to reduced nitrogen losses. In our breeding pool we search for breeding material of diploid and tetraploid perennial ryegrass with enhanced WSC content. In 2011 we have sown a yield trial in which we compare high sugar varieties with diploid and tetraploid breeding material with expected high WSC content. Some of the material (families, syn1-populations, induced tetraploids) was not selected for a high WSC content, but showed a high WSC content in previous trials. Other material was based on crosses (pair cross, top cross, polycross) with genotypes selected for their high WSC content. The yield trial was harvested five times in 2012. We took samples at each cut to determine the WSC content by NIRS. The results of the previous trials were confirmed in the experiment. The WSC content of the progenies of the populations with high WSC content was lower than the WSC content of the high sugar grasses although the content of the original population exceeded the content of the high sugar grasses.