Phenotypic variability in Holcus lanatus L. in southern Chile: a strategy that enhances plant survival and pasture stability
Ignacio F. López A C , Oscar A. Balocchi A , Peter D. Kemp B and Claudio Valdés AA Instituto de Producción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile.
B Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
C Corresponding author. Email: ilopez@uach.cl
Crop and Pasture Science 60(8) 768-777 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP09001
Submitted: 1 January 2009 Accepted: 4 June 2009 Published: 5 August 2009
Abstract
Holcus lanatus L. can colonise a wide range of sites within the naturalised grassland of the Humid Dominion of Chile. The objectives were to determine plant growth mechanisms and strategies that have allowed H. lanatus to colonise contrasting pastures and to determine the existence of ecotypes of H. lanatus in southern Chile. Plants of H. lanatus were collected from four geographic zones of southern Chile and established in a randomised complete block design with four replicates. Five newly emerging tillers were marked per plant and evaluated at the vegetative, pre-ear emergence, complete emerged inflorescence, end of flowering period, and mature seed stages. At each evaluation, one marked tiller was harvested per plant. The variables measured included lamina length and width, tiller height, length of the inflorescence, total number of leaves, and leaf, stem, and inflorescence mass. At each phenological stage, groups of accessions were statistically formed using cluster analysis. The grouping of accessions (cluster analysis) into statistically different groups (ANOVA and canonical variate analysis) indicated the existence of different ecotypes. The phenotypic variation within each group of the accessions suggested that each group has its own phenotypic plasticity. It is concluded that the successful colonisation by H. lanatus has resulted from diversity within the species.
Additional keywords: plant colonisation, environmental disturbances, stress, ecotype, constraint.
Acknowledgment
This work was supported by a grant from the Chilean National Fund for Science and Technology (FONDECYT), Project 1000429.
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