The domestication of the native grasses Danthonia richardsonii Cashmore and Danthonia linkii Kunth for agricultural use. II. Agronomic and morphologic variation

Abstract

Seven accessions of Danthonia richardsonii Cashmore and three plants of Danthonia linkii Kunth, selected for high inflorescence seed yield were further assessed in a comparative field experiment at Tamworth, N.S.W. The agronomic and morphological variation of these lines, three unselected native ecotypes and D. richardsonii cv. Hume also were examined as part of the process of identifying lines that met the criteria for registration in the schemes operated by the Registrar of Plant Variety Rights and the Registrar of Australian Herbage Plant Cultivars. Thirty plants of each line were planted in spaced nursery rows (1x1 m) on a black earth soil in July 1990 and agronomic and morphological characters were assessed in 1990-92. From these data the D. richardsonii accession T487 and D. linkii T28 were chosen to be registered as D. richardsonii cv. Taranna and D. linkii cv. Bunderra. cv. Taranna had higher (P < 0.05) seed production than all other D. richardsonii accessions, except T489. It was distinguishable from the latter accession by its significantly wider inflorescence. Compared with cv. Hume, the only other known cultivar of D. richardsonii, cv. Taranna had higher dry matter production in spring (P < 0.05), higher seed production, flowered earlier and had a shorter and wider inflorescence (P < 0.05) with a wider glume. It also differed from cv. Hume in having longer and wider (P < 0.05) flag and third tiller-leaves. There are no known cultivars of D. linkii. Compared with the accessions it was tested against, cv. Bunderra had significantly higher seed yields and dry matter production. It was also distinct from those accessions in having a higher number of reproductive tillers, a larger basal area and longer and wider flag and third tiller-leaves (P < 0.05).