Register      Login
Crop and Pasture Science Crop and Pasture Science Society
Plant sciences, sustainable farming systems and food quality
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Genetic variation in water-soluble carbohydrate concentration in diverse cultivars of Dactylis glomerata L. during vegetative growth

Y. Sanada A B , T. Takai A and T. Yamada A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A National Agricultural Research Center for Hokkaido Region, Hitsujigaoka 1, Toyohira, Sapporo, 062-8555, Japan.

B Corresponding author. Email: ysanada@affrc.go.jp

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55(11) 1183-1187 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR04033
Submitted: 11 February 2004  Accepted: 15 September 2004   Published: 26 November 2004

Abstract

The water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content of Dactylis glomerata L. (cocksfoot) during vegetative growth is lower than that of other temperate grasses. Variation in the WSC content of vegetative growth among cultivars was measured in order to assess the potential to improve forage quality. There were significant differences among cultivars for WSC content (P < 0.01) in all maturity groups. Average WSC content of the late (L) maturity group was higher than that of the early (E) and medium (M) maturity groups. Variation in the WSC content was largest among group L cultivars and smallest in group M. The WSC content of cultivars in groups M and L was consistent across 2 years (interactions between cultivars and years were not significant). Brown stripe infection was shown to reduce WSC content in susceptible cultivars. As a result of multiple regression analysis with WSC content as the dependent variable, dry matter content, heading date, thickness of stems, and resistance to brown stripe were selected as independent variables that were correlated with WSC. Therefore, variation for these traits must also be monitored in any program to increase WSC content in orchardgrass.

Additional keywords: germplasm, orchardgrass.


Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to Dr K. F. Smith, Plant Genetics and Genomics, Department of Primary Industries, Hamilton, Victoria, Australia, and Dr H. Yamaguchi, NARCH, for critical reading of the manuscript. The authors thank H. Morishita for field management and Dr R. A. B. M. Golam for NIR analysis.


References


Casler MD (2001) Breeding forage crops for increased nutritional value. Advances in Agronomy 71, 51–107. open url image1

Fisher DS, Mayland HF, Burns JC (1999) Variation in ruminant’s preference for tall fescue hays cut either at sundown or at sunup. Journal of Animal Science 77, 762–768.
PubMed |
open url image1

Humphreys MO (1989) Water-soluble carbohydrates in perennial ryegrass breeding. I. Genetic differences among cultivars and hybrid progeny grown as spaced plants. Grass and Forage Science 44, 231–236. open url image1

Isawa K (1983) Deterioration in the chemical composition and nutritive value of forage crops by foliar diseases 5. Chemical composition and nutritive value of orchardgrass infected with scald and leaf streak. Bulletin of the National Grassland Research Institute 26, 60–70. open url image1

Lenz EM, Buxton DR (1991) Morphological trait and maturity group relationship with digestibility orchardgrass. Crop Science 31, 1555–1560. open url image1

Marais JP, Goodenough DCW, de Figueiredo M, Hopkins C (2003) The development of a Lolium mutiflorum cultivar with a low moisture content and an increased readily digestible energy to protein ratio. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 54, 101–106.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Masaki S, Isawa K, Ohyama Y (1978) Effects of environmental temperature on nonstructural carbohydrate composition of orchardgrass of second growth. Journal of Japanese Grassland Science 24, 148–153. open url image1

Masuko M, Ono A, Furukawa N, Otani T (1994) Changes in crude protein, and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) contents of temperate grass cut at three stages of growth in Hokkaido. Journal of Japanese Grassland Science , 227–229. open url image1

Mayland HF, Shewmaker GF, Harrison PA, Chatterton NJ (2001) Nonstructural carbohydrate in tall fescue cultivars; relationship to animal preference. Agronomy Journal 92, 1203–1206. open url image1

Miller LA, Moorby JM, Davis DR, Humphreys MO, Scollan ND, MacRae JC, Theodorou MK (2001) Increased concentration of water-soluble carbohydrate in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.): milk production from late-lactation dairy cows. Grass and Forage Science 56, 383–394.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Saiga S (1981) Studies on breeding for improvement of forage quality of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.). Research Bulletin of the Hokkaido National Agricultural Experiment Station 129, 25–92. open url image1

Shenk JS, Westerhaus MO (1982) Selection for yield and quality in orchardgrass. Crop Science 22, 422–425. open url image1

Smith KF, Reed KFM, Foot JZ (1997) An assessment of the relative importance of specific traits for the genetic improvement of nutritive value in dairy pasture. Grass and Forage Science 52, 167–175.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Smith KF, Simpson RJ, Culven RA, Humphreys MO, Prud’domme MP, Oram RN (2001) The effect of ploidy and a phenotype conferring a high water-soluble carbohydrate concentration on carbohydrate accumulation, nutritive value and morphology of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The Journal of Agricultural Science 136, 65–74.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Smith KF, Simpson RJ, Oram RN, Lowe KF, Kelly KB, Evans PM, Humphreys MO (1998) Seasonal variation in the herbage yield and nutritive value of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars with high or normal herbage water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations grown in three contrasting Australian dairy environments. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 38, 821–830.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Sugawara K (1983) Non-structural carbohydrates in orchardgrass. Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly 17, 125–130. open url image1

Yemm EW, Willis AJ (1954) The estimation of carbohydrates in plant extracts by anthrone. Biochemical Journal 57, 508–514.
PubMed |
open url image1