Agronomic evaluations of grass and legume forage species collected in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China and Mongolia

Because rangelands in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of thePeople's Republic of China (PRC) and Mongolia are typicallyseverely overgrazed, bilateral (U.S./ PRC, U.S./Mongolia)efforts have been initiated to expedite capture of the remaining geneticdiversity. The current study was designed to evaluate selected germplasm of thefollowing forage species collected in these threatened areas: Bromusinermis Leyss., Dactylis glomerata L.,Festuca arundinacea Schreb., Festucaovina L., Festuca rubra L., Phleumphleoides (L.) Karsten, Phleumpratense L., Poa palustris L., Poapratensis ssp. angustifolia (L.) H.Lindb., Medicago sativa ssp. falcataArcengeli, Medicago sativa L. ssp. sativa, Medicago lupulina L.,Medicago ruthenica (L.) Ledebour,Trifolium fragiferum L., Trifoliumlupinaster L., Trifolium pratense L., andTrifolium repens L. Accessions were evaluated in the fieldat Beltsville MD (USA) on an Iuka sandy loam(coarse-loamy, siliceous, acid, thermic, Aquic Udigluvent; pH6.5) in a two-year study. Comparative check cultivars were included.There was significant variation in days to 50% heading (grassspecies) or flowering (legume species), leaf texture (grassspecies), growth habit, spring vigor, and dry matter yield among accessionsof at least some genera. Accessions did not demonstrate higher diseasesusceptibility relative to check cultivars, except in the case of severalF. arundinacea and oneM. sativa ssp.falcata entries. There was no significant variation in leafshape among the legume accessions, nor were leaf shapes significantly differentfrom those of the check cultivars. Several F.ovina, F. rubra,and Poa pratensis accessions may have potential in turfgrass breeding programs. There were apparent positive relationships amongupright growth habit, spring vigor, late development, and yield.