COMPARATIVE YIELDS OF LOCAL AND INTRODUCED CULTIVARS OF CANARY GRASS (Phalaris canariensis L.)

Abstract

IntroductionThe commercially viable cultivation of canary grass (Phalaris canariensis L.) in Argentina arose at the beginning of this century. Little attention has been paid to improving the species genetically, which has resulted in a lack of commercial varieties. Growers generally use seeds from their own production or that of other growers. Seeds are obtained from seed gathers, and in most cases these gathered seeds contain a mixture of different populations. In other countries a range of cultivars are present, even though there has been little genetic improvement. In this study, the introduced varieties of canary grass cv. Elias and cv. Keet, orginally from the United States, were compared with local populations of canary grass in Argentina.

Sowing date affects yield components of canarygrass seed

“…The correlation between seed yield and the changes in number of seeds m 2 in this study agree with those reported for canarygrass (Bodega et al 1995(Bodega et al , 1998 and Argentine wheat (Triticum aestivum) (Bodega and Andrade 1996;Abbate et al 1998); seed yield of canarygrass and wheat was reported to be limited by the number and capacity of seed to be filled (sink) and not by the supply of assimilates (source). If source were the limiting factor, the loss in yield would be accompanied by reduced seed weight.…”

“…Growers may modify the anthesis date for their environment by adjusting the growing cycle of the cultivars or the sowing date (Andrade and Sadras 2000). Poverene and Bodega (1994) and Bodega et al (2000) show that natural populations and introduced cultivars of canarygrass have similar characteristics for phenology, seed yield, biological yield, harvest index, and yield components when grown in the southeastern province of Buenos Aires. Sowing date is the principal factor to modify to optimize the environmental conditions at anthesis.…”

“…The principal component influencing seed yield in canarygrass, across environments, is the number of seeds per unit area. Studies on canarygrass (Bodega et al 1995) and wheat (Abbate and Bariffi 1998) indicate that the environmental conditions at anthesis greatly affect the number of seeds per unit area. Growers may modify the anthesis date for their environment by adjusting the growing cycle of the cultivars or the sowing date (Andrade and Sadras 2000).…”