Field Evaluation of Cocksfoot,Tall Fescue and Phalaris for Dry Marginal Environments of South‐Eastern Australia. 1. Establishment and Herbage Production

Newly developed candidate cultivars of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. = syn. L. arundinaceum (Schreb) Darbysh.) were evaluated over four years for persistence and productivity against current commercial cultivars in small plots at five locations selected for lower and less reliable rainfall and difficult soils (low pH and high Al) in south‐eastern Australia known to be marginally too dry for these grass species. The five locations were ‐ representing summer dominant rainfall, Inverell, in northern New South Wales (NSW); ‐ representing uniform rainfall; Trungley Hall, (medium rainfall), and Beckom (lower rainfall) both in southern NSW; and; representing a winter dominant pattern ‐ Eversley, (higher rainfall), and Bealiba, (lower rainfall), in central Victoria. The objective was to determine if the new candidate cultivars were more likely to persist and to be productive than current commercial cultivars. The study showed that most phalaris and cocksfoot treatments were highly productive in high rainfall years at one or both sites in southern NSW. However, all treatments had become much less productive by the end of the experimental period due to plant loss under hot, dry conditions in the final summer. At Bealiba in central Victoria, cocksfoot was the most productive species with several cocksfoot treatments of both subsp. hispanica and subsp. glomerata still present at the final harvest despite a hot and dry final summer‐autumn. Tall fescue was the most productive species in the two higher rainfall environments (Inverell, Eversley) although most treatments of all species performed well at those sites. Continental tall fescues were more productive on average than Mediterranean tall fescues at the strongly acidic Eversley site. As a result of this work, two of the new cocksfoot candidates (Moroccan Fine and AVH48 Selection) and one of the tall fescue candidates (Summer Active 1) have been licensed for commercial development and release.     

Response of Mediterranean Tall Fescue Cultivars to Contrasting Agricultural Environments and Implications for Selection

Extensive livestock is a basic socio‐economic feature of the Mediterranean region whose environmental and economic sustainability depends on the ability of forage resources to withstand climatically stressful conditions. Perennial forages such as tall fescue can be a valuable alternative to annuals, if they can survive across successive summer droughts. Three‐year dry matter yield and plant survival of five cultivars of Mediterranean‐type tall fescue were evaluated in six sites of Algeria, France, Italy, Morocco and Portugal, with the following objectives: (i) modelling adaptive responses and targeting cultivars as a function of environmental factors associated with genotype × location interaction; and (ii) defining plant ideotypes, adaptation strategies and opportunities for international co‐operation for regional breeding programmes. Site mean yield and winter temperatures were positively correlated, whereas sward persistence was positively correlated to lower site heat and drought stress. Cultivar adaptation was adequately modelled by factorial regression as a function of site spring–summer (April–September) drought stress (long‐term potential evapotranspiration minus actual water available) for yield, and annual drought stress for final persistence. Specific‐adaptation responses to high‐ or low‐stress environments emerged which were consistent with drought‐stress levels of cultivar selection environments. However, the wide‐adaptation response of cultivar Flecha suggested that breeding for wide adaptation can be feasible.     

Evaluation of Flax Genotypes for Cold Tolerance and Yield in South‐East Texas

Flax is an established crop in many parts of the world due to its positive health effects and numerous industrial uses. Due to increasing interest in biofuels, flax has been evaluated throughout the U.S.A. as a potential biodiesel crop. The main purpose of this research was to evaluate current and historical genotypes of flax in different regions of south‐east Texas. Twenty genotypes of flax were evaluated under dryland conditions for their agronomic and yield potential in College Station and McGregor, TX starting in 2008 thru 2011. The results suggest that all genotypes developed in Texas showed acceptable cold tolerance compared with genotypes developed in other locations. There were significant genotype–environment interactions (P < 0.001). A cross between Caldwell/Dillman (Texas genotype) was highly adapted to the environments of south‐east Texas. Nekoma and York (genotypes developed in North Dakota) yielded well in non‐cold years (>28 ^°F) at College Station. Utilization of cold tolerance trait identified in Texas genotypes coupled with high yield potential of modern genotypes would have a significant impact on yield improvement of flax in south‐east Texas. Overall, flax is well adapted to growth in the area surrounding College Station, TX and has potential as an oilseed crop for production in south‐east Texas.     

Assessing the Potential for Zone‐Specific Management of Cereals in Low‐Rainfall South‐Eastern Australia: Combining On‐Farm Results and Simulation Analysis

In the low‐rainfall region of south‐eastern Australia, distinctive soil types reflecting the typical landscape of higher elevated dunes and swale zones at the bottom can be found within one field. Different soil characteristics cause consequently large variability in cropping productivity between soils and across seasons. To assess the possibilities for zone‐specific management, five farmer fields were zoned into a dune, mid‐slope and swale zone. For each site, zone yields were mapped over 2 years and soil properties were surveyed. This information was used to parameterize and validate the APSIM model for each zone. Field‐measured PAWC increased from the dune to the swale zone. On‐farm results and simulation analysis showed distinctive yield performance of the three designed zones. However, yield is not related to PAWC, it is rather a complex relationship between soil type, fertility and rainfall. While in high‐rainfall years, the swale zones yielded higher due to higher soil organic carbon content and less drainage losses, the dune zones performed better in the low‐rainfall years due to lower evaporation losses. This study emphasizes that in this specific environment where soil variation in texture and subsoil constraints strongly influence crop performance, mechanistic crop models and long‐term field observations are necessary for better understanding of zone‐specific performance, and simple linear relationships across years or sites are not useful.