Intraspecific differences in long-term drought tolerance in perennial ryegrass.

ABSTRACT: Lolium perenne L. (perennial ryegrass) is the most important pasture grass species in temperate regions of the world. However, its growth is restricted in summer dry environments. Germplasm screening can be used to identify accessions or individual plants for incorporation into breeding programs for drought tolerance. We selected nine perennial ryegrass accessions from different global origins and from a range of climatic and environmental conditions. In addition, the perennial ryegrass cultivar 'Grasslands Impact' was chosen as a reference. The accessions were grown for 360 days in a controlled environment through six consecutive drought stress and recovery cycles. We observed intraspecific differences in drought stress responsiveness for shoot biomass and survival from the third stress c

SUBMITTER: Cyriac D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5884532 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature