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Low temperature growth in a controlled environment of Lolium perenne L. ecotypes from northern latitudes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. H. Ollerenshaw
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Biology, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1RU
R. H. Baker
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Biology, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1RU

Summary

Nineteen ecotypes from northern Britain and selected genotypes of a cultivar of L. perenne were assessed in controlled environments for shoot growth at low temperature and irradiance and also short daylengths. The ecotypes were collected from a range of altitudes at sites experiencing estimated mean monthly temperatures in the coldest month between -0·1 and + 4·2 °C.

A clinal relationship between low temperature growth and the winter temperature at the place of origin of the ecotypes could not be found in these experiments. Low temperature growth was not generally associated with altitude of origin of the plants, but in this study some of the plants collected from mid-altitude were exceptional in leaf growth produced at 5 °C. Types of L. perenne which extended leaves quickly also produced heavier shoot weights than other types less able to show rapid leaf extension at low temperature. The exceptional ecotypes may provide useful basic plant material for breeding cultivars of L. perenne to grow at low temperatures, and irradiances and short daylengths. Several possible explanations are discussed for the differences in shoot growth found between L. perenne ecotypes at low temperature.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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