Early Plant Selection Effects on Crown Traits in Pensacola Bahiagrass with Selection Cycle

Abstract

A positive relationship between crown traits of greenhouse‐grown plants and crown development in the field would allow for the efficient evaluation of large populations of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) for rapid stand establishment. The objective of this study was to determine if young plants exhibiting greater crown vigor (expressed as rapid crown area growth and profuse tillering) in the greenhouse would result in larger, more vigorous plants when grown in the field. Fifty young bahiagrass plants, from each of four cycles (C0, C4, C9, and C23) resulting from recurrent restricted phenotypic selection (RRPS), were evaluated in the greenhouse for plant vigor, crown width, crown wet weight, and tiller number. Plants were transplanted to the field and crown area was determined at 6 and 15 mo after establishment. Crown vigor of greenhouse plants was greatest for C4 and C9 plants. Vigor ratings for C9 plants were smaller (P < 0.05) than C4 in Exp. 2, but larger than C0 and C23. Crown area, crown wet weight, and tillering of the greenhouse plants favored plants from C4 populations. Greenhouse plants of C23 generally had smaller crowns and less tillering. Crown area of individual plants from greenhouse plants, for all cycles, was positively correlated with crown area in the field after 6 mo following transplanting (r = 0.74 to 0.87 for Exp. 1 and 0.75 to 0.93 for Exp. 2). At 15 mo after transplanting to the field, bahiagrass crowns had filled the area between spaced plants. Selecting young superior bahiagrass plants in the greenhouse should aid breeders in developing germplasm that could hasten field establishment.