54. Volume 12- Number 4 - IP Australia

PLANT VARIETIES JOURNAL 1999 VOL 12 NO. 4
Table 12 Continued
PETAL LENGTH ( mm)
mean 14.4 13.3 13.7 14.1 13.0
std deviation 1.24 1.02 1.31 0.95 1.08
LSD/sig 0.49 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 ns P≤0.01
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PETAL WIDTH (mm)
mean 6.6 6.2 7.1 7.3 6.6
std deviation 0.91 1.01 1.01 0.76 0.77
LSD/sig 0.39 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 ns
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PLANT HEIGHT (cm)
mean 118.2 117.8 127.5 111.0 120.8
std deviation 7.9 9.5 10.4 10.3 8.4
LSD/sig 3.9 ns P≤0.01 P≤0.01 ns
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SILIQUA LENGTH (mm)
mean 60.3 55.8 51.8 50.7 50.9
std deviation 6.8 7.3 6.3 6.7 6.2
LSD/sig 2.8 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 P≤0.01
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BEAK LENGTH (mm)
mean 10.9 9.6 8.4 8.4 10.3
std deviation 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.0
LSD/sig 0.8 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 ns
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PEDUNCLE LENGTH (mm)
mean 25.4 17.2 17.8 20.8 17.6
std deviation 2.9 2.7 2.6 3.9 3.2
LSD/sig 1.3 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 P≤0.01 P≤0.01
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COCKSFOOT
Dactylis glomerata
‘Grasslands Excel’
Application No: 98/087 Accepted: 18 Nov 1999.
Applicant: New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research
Institute Limited, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Agent: Mr. Peter Neilson, AgResearch Grasslands,
Bowna via Albury, NSW.
Characteristics (Table 13, Figure 59) Plant: intermediate to
semi prostrate, densely tillered, very late maturing,
moderately dark green, herbaceous perennial forage grass.
Stem: thin, mean number per plant 79, mean thickness
2.9mm, culm mean length (inc. inflorescence) 1106mm.
Internode mean length 337mm. Leaf: flag mean length
288mm, width 9mm, tiller mean length 145mm, width
10.5mm. Inflorescence: mean length 254mm, mean number
of panicle branches 9.4. Mean heading 22 Nov (sown 27
Mar), panicle anthocyanin weak, anthers mostly dark
purple. Seed: light, thousand seed weight ~ 0.3gm. Low
susceptibility to leaf rusts.
Origin and Breeding Open Pollination and Recurrent
Phenotypic Selection: from an accession (K2460) received
from Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agraries (INIA),
La Coruna, Spain in 1986. K2460 was highly variable and
characterised by low head numbers in many plants. In 1990,
K2460 was sown in seed boxes and then transplanted into
the field at Palmerston North and compared with 49 other
genetic lines of prostrate habit associated with ‘Grasslands
Wana’. In 1992, eighteen plants of K2460 were selected and
inter-pollinated in isolation. In 1993, bulked seed was used
establish up to 200 seedlings. In 1994, fifty-five Syn 1
plants were selected and inter-pollinated in isolation. The
resultant Syn 2 seed was blended to form the basis of GK52,
which was later named ‘Grasslands Excel’. Selection
criteria: later flowering pattern, growth habit and
uniformity. Propagation: seed. Breeder: Dr W. Rumball,
AgResearch Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston
North, New Zealand.
Choice of Comparators ‘Grasslands Kara’ A , ‘Grasslands
Wana’ and ‘Grasslands Tekapo’ were chosen as
comparators to show the relativity of the late maturity of
‘Grasslands Excel’ to these varieties of common
knowledge. ‘Grasslands Vision’ A was included as a new
candidate variety together with ‘Grasslands Excel’. ‘Porto’
and ‘Currie’ are varieties of common knowledge in
Australia, and ‘Saborto’ is eligible for seed certification in
New Zealand. K2460 is no longer available for comparative
purposes. However, ‘Grasslands Excel’ differs from that
material by having a later maturity, greater uniformity, even
heads numbers and improved seed production potential.
Comparative Trial Comparators: ‘Grasslands Vision’ A
‘Grasslands Kara’ A , ‘Grasslands Wana’, ‘Grasslands
Tekapo’, (GK53), ‘Saborto’, ‘Porto’, ‘Currie’. Location:
AgResearch Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston
North, New Zealand. Conditions: seeds germinated in petri
dishes on 25-27 Mar 1997 and pricked into seed trays of
potting mix and placed in controlled glasshouse. Seedlings
trimmed on 11 Apr 1997 and removed to open for
hardening on 12 May 1997 and transplanted to open field
trial on 26-27 May 97. Trial design: randomised block, 10
replicates, 10 plants per plot, 60cm between plants.
Measurements/scores: on all plants.
Prior Applications and Sales
Country Year Status Name Applied
New Zealand 1997 Granted ‘Grasslands Excel’
No prior sales.
Description: Jeff E. Miller, AgResearch Grasslands, Palmerston North,
New Zealand
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