Genetic Diversity in Tall Fescue Ecotypes from Alabama I. Maturity, Morphological Traits, and Disease Reaction

Abstract

There is a large hectarage of tall fescue in Alabama. Recognition of the deleterious effects of the endophytic fungus Acremonium coenophialum has resulted in substantial acceptance of new endophyte-free cultivars. Destruction of old pastures and the concomitant loss of potentially valuable adapted germplasm could be a valid cause for concern. The objectives of this study were to evaluate genetic variation for maturity and plant morphological traits, both among and within tall fescue cv. ‘Kentucky 31’ populations from 18 to 38 year-old pastures in Alabama. Ten populations of approximately 50 plants each were collected from old Alabama tall fescue pastures. Two pastures were sampled in each of five counties, representing the five major land use areas of the state. In 1990, spaced plants of all populations were evaluated at heading time for maturity, morphological, and disease traits at two locations in central Alabama. Endophyte infection level of the populations ranged from 2 to 100 %. Maturity was highly correlated with tiller length and flag leaf width and was used as a covariate for these traits in the analysis of variance. Leaf rust and net blotch ratings were negatively correlated. Significant variation among populations was observed for maturity and flag leaf dimensions, most variation being due to differences among source counties. Significant variation was observed within all populations for maturity and morphological traits, but only in seven populations for leaf rust. No within-population variation was detected for net blotch. The average precipitation for the month of May explained 81 % of the variation among populations for maturity. Age of the pasture sampled had a significant effect on tiller diameter (r2= 0.55), and latitude of the pasture sampled was the best individual predictor of leaf width (r2= 0.42). This study reveals that considerable genetic diversity, largely influenced by climatic conditions, exists among ‘Kentucky 31’ tall fescue ecotypes from Alabama.