
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Easton, H. S. 
A1  - Mackay, A. D. 
A1  - Lee, J. 
T1  - Genetic variation for macro- and micro-nutrient concentration in perennial ryegrass (<emph type="2">Lolium perenne</emph> L.)
JF  - Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
JO  - Aust. J.  Agric. Res.
Y1  - 1997
VL  - 48
IS  - 5
SP  - 657
EP  - 666
KW  - plant nutrients, animal nutrients, herbage mineral content, heritability.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/A96086 
N2  - A perennial ryegrass breeding pool showed significant genetic variation for concentrations in leaf of 8 of 16 macro- and micro-nutrients measured. Narrow sense heritabilities (h2) ranged from 0 (B, Zn) to 0&#183;9 (Mn, Na). Families selected for high and low herbage P concentrations (h2 = 0&#183;4) showed consistent behaviour over a range of soil P treatments in a separate experiment. Families similarly selected for herbage K concentrations (h2 = 0&#183;15) did not show such consistent response in a later experiment. High soil K reduced herbage Mg concentrations, but family means for herbage Mg and herbage K concentrations were not correlated. The data show that selection for herbage content of Mg, Na, or P is likely to be successful, but that herbage K is not simply regulated. These results have implications for livestock Mg metabolism, for efficiency of P and K use in mixed legume-based pastures, and for P and K wastage from pastures. 
ER  -

