Journal of the NARO Research and Development
Online ISSN : 2434-9909
Print ISSN : 2434-9895
ISSN-L : 2434-9895
Original Paper
Breeding of Festulolium ‘Northfest’ and its characteristics
Ken-ichi TAMURA Kazuhiro TASEYasuharu SANADAToshinori KOMATSUYukio AKIYAMAHideki YATSUKan YOKOYAMAMitsuo TAKAYAMATaku HAYASHITsukasa MAKINOKenzaburo DEGUCHINarichika SATO
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2024 Volume 2024 Issue 17 Pages 1-22

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Abstract

Festulolium ‘Northfest’ is an amphiploid forage grass cultivar derived from crosses between the tetraploid meadow fescue and perennial ryegrass. It consists of four maternal lines and 19 individuals that were bred with breeding objectives such as winter hardiness and suitability for grazing use. The winter hardiness of ‘Northfest’ was superior to that of perennial ryegrass ‘Pokoro’ and other Festulolium cultivars in all test sites in Hokkaido. On the other hand, it was inferior in the Konsen region where overwintering conditions are severe compared to the meadow fescue ‘Harusakae’, but was similar to or slightly superior in other regions including the Tokachi region, suggesting that ‘Northfest’ can be grown stably even in eastern Hokkaido where overwintering conditions are relatively mild. The average yield of ‘Northfest’ for grazing use was higher than that of ‘Harusakae’ and ‘Pokoro’ in Hokkaido under multiple harvesting, and its seasonal productivity was at the same leveled, suggesting that it is suitable for grazing. In addition, it showed better initial growth performance than both those species and excellent forage quality (such as a high digestible fiber content) comparable to that of perennial ryegrass, making it suitable for use in improving the quality of existing degraded grasslands through additional seeding.

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The author retains the copyright of their paper and grants permission to the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) to publish the paper in the Journal of the NARO Research and Development.
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