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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #130561
Title: SELECTION FOR STEM RUST RESISTANCE IN TALL FESCUE AND ITS CORRELATED RESPONSE WITH SEED YIELD

Author
item Barker, Reed
item Pfender, William
item WELTY, R - NFSPRC CORVALLIS RETIRED

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2002
Publication Date: 2/28/2003
Citation: BARKER, R.E., PFENDER, W.F., WELTY, R.E. SELECTION FOR STEM RUST RESISTANCE IN TALL FESCUE AND ITS CORRELATED RESPONSE WITH SEED YIELD. CROP SCIENCE. 2003. v. 43(1). p.75-79.

Interpretive Summary: Tall fescue is an important grass grown for forage and turf in the Southeast and Midwest USA and for turf in southern areas of Australia. It ranks third among grasses in number of acres grown for seed in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Stem rust, first reported on the seed crop in 1987, has increased in economic impact in seed production fields in recent years with fungicides commonly used to control the disease. Genetic resistance, however, would provide a more environmentally sound approach to control the disease. Genetic host resistance to stem rust in tall fescue had not been reported prior to our studies. We surveyed 20 cultivars of tall fescue for resistance to stem rust. None of the cultivars were judged resistant, but there were differences among cultivars for number of plants with a resistant response when inoculated with stem rust. Resistant plants were saved from the survey. This study reports direct selection response from two cycles of recurrent selection in controlled environment screening and indirect response on seed yield of tall fescue grown over four years. In years with heavy stem rust infection, populations with resistance had higher seed yields than susceptible cultivars. Utilizing genetic resistance would save tall fescue seed growers between $2 and 3 million in fungicide costs without sacrificing seed yield.

Technical Abstract: Cultivars with resistance to stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis Pers. subsp. graminicola Urban) would be reduce need for fungicides in tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire] grown for seed in the Pacific Northwest. Two cycles of polycross (PX) selection on progenies from 34 parent plants (14 forage-types and 20 turf-types) were developed using a 2-stage greenhouse screening process. Direct selection response was determined in the greenhouse from composite half-sib progenies from each cycle and seed yield response from the same plants grown for four years at the Hyslop field station on a Malabon soil. Number of plants with resistant reaction based on pustule type increased from 5 to 54% in the PX forage-type population and from 6 to 50% in the PX turf-types. Direct selection response indicated that rapid progress from selection in the greenhouse is possible, but most of the additive genetic variance was used after one cycle of PX selection. Seed yields were larger in populations selected for stem rust resistance than in base populations. Cycle 1, however, had larger seed yields than for cycle 2 in both forage-type and turf-type populations indicating possible inbreeding depression. Reverse selection for stem rust susceptibility resulted in smaller seed yields. These results indicate that genetic resistance to stem rust can improve seed yields in tall fescue and reduce the need for pesticides.