Green Matter Yield Research Articles

Interpopulational and intervarietal hybridization inLolium perennebreeding: heterosis under non-competitive conditions

SUMMARYThe current status of herbage grass breeding is considered in relation to the utilization of first-generation hybrid vigour. A breeding scheme is outlined by which it is suggested that interpopulationalF1hybrid varieties could be developed to provide a simple and effective means of exploiting heterotic potential in herbage grass species. A survey of interpopulationalF1heterosis expressed, under two levels of fertility in non-competitive spaced-plants conditions, by the hybrids of a group of six adapted perennial ryegrass varieties, is reported here.Although theF1hybrid populations studied were not on average superior to the parental varieties there were large variations between specific hybrids. Two hybrids were particularly promising, exhibiting 25% and 31% heterosis over the higheryielding of their parents for total green-matter yield over two harvest years and two fertility levels. The bulk of this heterosis arose under high-fertility conditions, when the mean yield response of the interpopulationalF1hybrid was twice that of the parental varieties.The effects of inherent relationships between the parental varieties on the observed levels of heterosis are considered, as are the possibilities for the practice of recurrent selection procedures for the enhancement of heterotic expression in some of these hybrids. It is concluded that there is sufficient evidence for the existence of interpopulational heterosis in this species to merit an extension and application of this approach to include a wider range of varieties and. populations, both adapted and introduced.

Effects of phosphorus fertilizer on yield and nutritional value of sorghum (<i>Sorghum bicolor</i>) fodder at three cuttings

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of various levels of phosphorus fertilizer on the yield and nutritional value of sorghum fodder at three cuttings. The experiment was conducted by using 4 levels of Phosphorus fertilizer viz. 0 (T) 40 (T), 80 (T) and 120 (T) kg TSP/ha in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). A significant effect (P<0.01) of phosphorus fertilizer application on plant height was observed with 80 kg TSP/ha at 60 days in 1st cutting and at 15 and 30 days in 2nd and 3rd cuttings. Highest green fodder was observed at 40 kg TSP/ha in 1st cutting but the effect was non significant. A significant effect (P<0.01) in green matter yield was observed at 80 kg TSP/ha in 2nd and 3rd cuttings. On the other hand, a significant effect (P<0.01) was observed on DM yield in first and second cuttings. Application of phosphorus fertilizer had a significant effect (P<0.01) on DM content in second cutting but non significant effect in 1st and 3rd cuttings with 80 kg TSP/ha. In 1st and 3rd cuttings, a significant difference on CP content was observed but in 2nd cutting the difference was non significant. CF, EE and P content were increased significantly in three cuttings. Highest phosphorus content was observed at 120 kg TSP/ha in each cutting. A significant effect (P<0.01) was observed on Ash content in 3rd cutting but the effect was non significant in 1st and 3rd cuttings. In 2nd cutting, IVOMD content of sorghum fodder was statistically significant but in 1st and 3rd cuttings the effect was non significant with 120 kg TSP/ha. A significant effect (P<0.01) was observed on ME content of fodder in 2nd and 3rd cuttings but the effect was non significant in 1st cutting at 120 kg TSP/ha. Based on the above findings, it may be suggested that sorghum fodder can be cultivated through the application of 80 kg TSP/ha and harvested at the age of 66 days at first cutting for maximum production. Key words: Phosphorus; Sorghum fodder; Cuttings; Chemical composition; Metabolizable energy DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v39i1-2.9683 Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2010, 39(1&2): 106-115

Comparison of agronomic characters of <i>Festulolium</i>, <i>Festuca pratensis</i> Huds. and Lolium multiflorum Lam. genotypes under high elevation conditions in Turkey

Prior {Lolium perenne × Festuca pratensis) and Elmet (Lolium multiflorum × Festuca pratensis) cultivars were compared with Festuca pratensis Huds. and Lolium multiflorum Lam. genotypes for some agronomical characteristics (green and dry matter yields, crude protein, seed yield, crude ash content) under Erzurum ecological conditions. Analysis of variance and mean separation were performed using the SPSS 11.0 computer program. There was a significant difference among genotypes in every character tested except for green and dry matter yield and crude ash content. Hybrid genotypes had higher plant height, dry and green matter yield, seed yield per plant and crude protein yield except 1000-seed weight. Elmet performed better than Prior except for seed yield per plant.  Key words: Festulolium, Lolium, Festuca, Yield, Crude protein, Crude ash doi:10.3329/bjb.v37i1.1556 Bangladesh J. Bot. 37(1): 1-6, 2008 (June)

The assessment of herbage legume varieties: IV. The potential of 64-chromosome white clover

SUMMARYColchicine induced 64-chromosome white clover was compared at a number of centres with control material (2n = 32), as spaced plants and in broadcast plots with and without companion grasses.The chromosome-doubled material generally conformed to the well-known reaction of polyploids; the plants were later flowering, had thicker petioles and stolons, broader leaflets and spread less vigorously. Yield of green matter of spaced plants was much less, and in broadcast plots the gross yield (grass + clover) and that of the clover fraction was 7% less than in comparable S. 100 plots. The Finlay-Wilkinson analysis indicated that the chromosome-doubled form did not respond to improved conditions to the same extent as did the control varieties. The presence of grass in the mixture partly compensated for low clover yield, but was insufficient to increase total yields to that of S. 100 controls.

Beta attenuation—a technique for estimating forage yield in situ

A new, rapid method of estimating yield is proposed using the “thickness gauging” principle, where beta particle attenuation by plant material is considered a direct measure of the density ( D) of the plant material. When these measurements are summed over height ( H), a term representing D x H is obtained that has been shown to predict green matter yield very accurately. Simple regression analysis shows that the variable obtained by the “Beta-foliageometer” accounted for approximately 98 per cent of the variation in green matter yield. The advantage of the proposed “Beta-foliageometer” is that the method is rapid and gives accurate determinations of forage yield in situ.

Heterosis in red clover

The possibilities of utilizing heterosis in reciprocal and separate bulk crosses and through selection parallel with bulk crossing in red clover are discussed. The reciprocal bulk crosses have not reached the average green matter performance of the pure strains in the crosses. The performance in the second harvest year was on an average not as good as in the first harvest year. On an average, the separate bulk crosses have given higher green matter yields than both the mothers and the parental means. The yield performance was better relatively in the first harvest year than in the second harvest year in comparison with the mothers and with the parental means. If the bulk crosses are performed on plants selected for persistence the green matter yields have on an average been relatively higher than in other bulk crosses. The yields in the second harvest year have been comparatively better than in the first harvest year.

Effect of stage of growth and frequency of cutting on the yield and chemical composition of some Nigerian fodder grasses—Panicum maximum Jacq

1. The effects of the stage of growth and frequency of cutting on the yield and chemical composition of Panicum maximum Jacq., under the tropical humid conditions prevailing in Ibadan area were studied in the season 1953 to 1954. The cutting frequencies adopted were seventeen, eight, six and four times harvesting a year which corresponded respectively to a growing period of 3, 6, 8 and 12 weeks before the plants were cut.2. It was shown that Guinea grass gave the highest growth rate and cumulative green fodder yield (approximately 28 tons per acre) per year when allowed a 12-weekly growth cycle. Cutting the grass every 3 weeks gave a total minimum yield of 20 tons per acre. 6-weekly samplings resulted in higher green fodder yield than cutting it every 8 weeks. Such yield differences which exist among the various cutting treatments, however, are not statistically significant. When yields of edible (leafy) green fodder were considered, the order of superiority was 3-weekly > 6-weekly > 12-weekly > 8-weekly.It was shown that the increased yield of green and dry fodder obtained from the 12-weekly cut grass was made up of both fresh regrowth as well as of grasses which had been growing for 12 weeks.3. P. maximum contains a fairly high percentage of dry matter and this increased directly with the length of cutting intervals. Dry-matter yields, like those of green fodder, were highest for the 12-weekly harvested material, followed in order by the 6-weekly cut, the 8-weekly cut and the 3-weekly cut samples. However, the production of leaves and the accumulation of dry matter in them, are inversely related to the length of growing interval up to and including grasses allowed 8-weekly growing periods.4. The stems of P. maximum tend to mature more rapidly than the leaves, particularly at a growing stage of between 3 and 6 weeks of age. At between the 8 and 12 week growth stages, the development of the stem of P. maximum in relation to that of its leaves was not as rapid as observed in the case of either P. purpureum or of Andropogon tectorum.5. The percentage dry matter, nitrogen-free extract, ether extract and calcium are directly related, while those of crude protein, silica-free ash, phosphorus and magnesium, are inversely related to the length of cutting intervals. It was also shown that the mean percentage crude protein of Guinea grass of about 12 at 3 weeks of growth, declined by 45% to 6·4 when the grass was cut every 12 weeks. The grass contains a high amount of magnesium, a reasonably high amount of calcium, but a somewhat low content of phosphorus, a fact which accounts for the wide calcium to phosphorus ratio. This ratio widened with the length of cutting intervals.6. When Panicum maximum was cut at 3 -weekly intervals, it produced 69·3% more protein, 58·5% more silica-free ash, 32·3% more calcium, 49·6% more phosphoric acid, 71% more magnesium and higher amounts of carbohydrate and total nutrient material than when it was allowed to grow for 8 weeks. Similarly when the grass was allowed a 12-weekly growth cycle, it produced 35% more of total nutrient, 36·5% more of carbohydrate material and 62·2% more of calcium than when it was sampled every 8 weeks. It appears totally unprofitable from the point of view of yield of chemical constituents to subject P. maximum to a growth cycle of 8 weeks.7. Yields of green and dry matter and the percentage crude protein, silica-free ash, and nitrogen-free extract are directly related to the degree of precipitation. In general periods of high rainfall were accompanied by higher yields and percentage content of these constituents, while periods of low rainfall gave rise to smaller yields. The percentage content of crude fibre, on the other hand, was inversely related to rainfall.

A Comparative Study of Cowpea (Vigna sinensis) and Clusterbean (Cyamopsis psoraloides) as Green Manure Crops for Gardenlands

The role of leguminous crops in crop rotation is well known. Since they have the capacity to fix the atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, legumes form the chief source of organic nitrogen available at a low cost. The desirable attributes of a good green manure crop are easily decomposable green matter rich in nitrogen and good vegetative growth within a short period of 60 days, so that it can easily fit into the gardenland rotation. At present, sunnhemp is universally grown as a green manure crop in the gardenlands of Coimbatore because of its short duration. Earlier study had focussed attention on Clusterbean as a good green manure crop in place of sunnhemp, because it provides the grower with a rich harvest of readily marketable green pods, before it is incorporated into the soil at 60 days growth (Veeraswami and Kunjamma, 1958). In another field study, Clusterbean C. P. 177 was fixed as the type best suited for the green manure due to its heavy vegetative growth and yield of green matter (Subramaniam and Premsekar, 1960).

Stimulation of the growth ofTrifolium pratense following exposure to low doses of chronic gamma irradiation

Results of the action of low doses of gamma irradiation, intensity 1-80 to 0-24 r/day, are recorded in this paper. Irradiation was carried out on a gamma field with a 0-50 g. equiv. Ra Co60 source throughout the whole vegetative cycle.Trifolium pratense var. Jicinský was chosen as the experimental material. Growth and the yield of green matter was followed both on individually bedded out plants and on sown plots. Results of the measurement and weighing of the plants were statistically evaluated by means of the t-test and analysis of variation. Small, daily radiation doses (1·80-0·30 r per day) produced a significant stimulatory effect which was evidenced in the greater height of the irradiated plants as compared with the controls and a higher yield of green matter. In conclusion the paper deals with work that has already been carried out in this field. Experiments and measurements have shown that low doses of chronic gamma radiation are capable of stimulating plant growth. This work is confirmed by result obtained by Breslavets, Berezina and Shchibrya (1956) on other material.

Título en español.

Se informan en este trabajo los resultados de una investigación hecha en el invernadero con el propósito de determinar el efecto de varios niveles de cal en el suelo sobre la producción del sorgo Hegari. Los rendimientos de materia verde en suelos que recibieron cal, a razón de poco más de 4 toneladas por acre, fueron significativamente más altos que los del suelo que recibió la cantidad menor de cal (a razón de 0.7 tonelada por acre), sin embargo, no se pudieron medir diferencias significativas entre los promedios de los demás niveles de cal que fluctuaron entre 2.2 y 9.2 toneladas por acre. El encalado afecta significativamente la época de florecida del sorgo.

The effect of autotetraploidy in five varieties of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.).

Induced autotetraploidy in the Dwalganup variety of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) resulted in total dry weight increases of 60 and 65.5 per cent. at flowering and maturity respectively. In the other four varieties the tetraploids had decreased yields of dry matter compared with the diploids, although the decreases for leaf weights at flowering were nonsignificant in Mount Barker and Tallarook, as was the total dry weight reduction in Tallarook at maturity. There were no significant differences between the diploids and tetraploids in percentage moisture content. When early development was stimulated by growth in a glass-house, the tetraploids of all varieties showed a significant increase in yield of green matter. The level of increased growth was maintained only in Dwalganup, and decreased in other varieties during flowering. An analysis was made of the way in which the different plant parts mere changed by tetraploidy. Where decreased growth occurred, the leaves and stems were coarser. In all varieties a reduced seed-setting followed autotetraploidy, although in Dwalganup the yield of seed per plant was not affected.