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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 47(2)

Persistence of winter-active phalaris breeding populations, cultivars and other temperate grasses in diverse environments of south-eastern Australia

R. A. Culvenor A D , S. P. Boschma B and K. F. M. Reed C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

B NSW Department of Primary Industries, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, 4 Marsden Park Road, Calala Lane, Tamworth, NSW 2340, Australia.

C Department of Primary Industries, Private Bag 105, Mt Napier Road, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: richard.culvenor@csiro.au

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47(2) 136-148 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA05342
Submitted: 3 January 2006  Accepted: 25 June 2006   Published: 23 January 2007

Abstract

Three winter-active populations of phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.), selected over two generations for improved persistence under grazing, were evaluated with commercial cultivars of phalaris and other temperate perennial grasses from 1999–2003 in three environments of south-eastern Australia as part of a program to develop a cultivar for more sustainable pastures and to assess genotype × environment interaction. Grazed sites were located at Bulart in western Victoria, and Rye Park on the Southern Tablelands and Tamworth on the North West Slopes of New South Wales. At the conclusion of the experiment, the frequency of live plant base was highest at Rye Park despite soil acidity and drought. Significant variance among half-sib families in each population was also observed most frequently at this site. Frequency was intermediate at Bulart but lower than expected considering high soil fertility, probably because of high grazing pressure. Frequency was lowest at Tamworth where severe drought occurred from 2001 onwards. There was significant genotype × environment interaction for frequency among half-sib families. Significant common family variance for frequency across the Bulart and Rye Park sites was demonstrated, but not between Tamworth and either of the other sites in later years. The relationship between winter herbage mass potential and persistence differed with population and site, and was negative for one population at Bulart but positive for another population at Tamworth. Mean persistence of all families was 30% higher than winter-active controls at Rye Park and at least 40% higher at Bulart. Phalaris generally persisted better than cultivars of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) with some exceptions, particularly at Bulart. Development of a winter-active phalaris cultivar with improved persistence under grazing was considered possible for the Southern Tablelands and western Victorian environments with these populations but a separate program using additional germplasm will be needed for the North West Slopes environment.

Additional keywords: grazing tolerance.


Acknowledgements

We thank Mr G. Wake, Wakefield Park, Bulart, and Mr R. Veness, Rye Park, for kindly allowing us to conduct the experiments on their land and for supplying sheep for grazing these experiments. Technical assistance by Scott McDonald and Phillip Veness (CSIRO), Terry Mullens (NSW Department of Primary Industries, Tamworth) and Darren Picket and Harry Armstrong (Department of Primary Industries Victoria, Hamilton) is gratefully acknowledged. Support for this project was provided by Australian woolgrowers and the Australian government through Australian Wool Innovation Ltd.


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