Variability of Yield and Yield Components of Selected Genotypes of Italian Ryegrass

Abstract

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorim L.) is a short-term grass species that is of great importance for the production of quality fodder on arable land. It is grown in pure sowing or in short-term grass-leguminous mixtures. For the sowing of grasslands in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the significant seed quantities of the Italian ryegrass are used. The aim of this paper is to examine the yield variability and yield components of the progeny of the own selection of Italian ryegrass "BL Vubo" in relation to the four varieties of the Italian ryegrass that are most often used in our area. The research was carried out in the testing field and in the laboratories of the Agricultural Institute of the Republic of Srpska in Banja Luka during 2014 and 2015. These tests include the local selection "BL Vubo" and 4 foreign and local diploid and tetraploid varieties of the Italian ryegrass: Tur, Danergo, Draga and Tetraflorum. During the study, the following properties were monitored: number of generative stems per plant, spike length, number of spikelets per spike and seed yield per plant.During the two-year study, the highest average number of generative stems per plant was found in the Draga variety (183,6) and the lowest in the Tur variety (158,2). The average length of the Italian ryegrass in the tested genotypes varied from 23,4 cm (Draga) to 29,5 cm (Tetraflorum). The highest average number of spikelets/spike was found in the Tur variety (27,1). When it comes to yield of seeds/plants, the variety Draga (72,4 g) and the local selection "BL Vubo" (68,8 g) were distinguished. The variety had a highly significant influence on all tested properties (p<0,01). For the spike length, it is determined that year had highly significant influence (p<0,01), while for the rest of the examined properties, the effect of the year was significant (p<0,05). The existence of an interaction genotype x year has not been determined for any property.