The seasonal growth rhythm of some cultivars of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata)

Abstract

The seasonal yields of twenty-seven introduced cultivars of Dactylis glomerata were compared under irrigation with Australian cultivars and ecotypes from the Mediterranean basin. Very large differences in winter yield were obtained between cultivars, some French ones having yields three times larger than those from continental climates in Europe and North America. The material in the trial was also assessed for heading date and a range of three months was obtained between the earliest and latest cultivars, with the French cultivars as a group being the earliest. Survival of the introduced cultivars was low over the summer when not irrigated, emphasizing the need for hybridization with drought resistant material.