Dactylis glomerata ssp . hispanica (Roth) Nyman,cultivars uplands and sendace,drought tolerant forage grasses for temperate environments

摘要

The extent and severity of dry summers across temperate Australia has resulted in a need to develop perennial grasses with increased ability to survive long dry periods.Kemp and Culvenor (1994) state that for environments which suffer regular droughts the prime strategy in cultivar development should be the plants ability to survive dry summers followed by high regrowth rates after autumn rains.Dactylis glomerata ssp.hispanica represents the Mediterranean form of Dactylis glomerata, with a winter active/summer dormant growth pattern and includes genotypes with very high summer drought tolerance (Knight R.1973).This paper details the development of two cultivars of D.glomerata ssp.hispanica, Uplands and Sendace with specific application for use in Tasmania and other temperate climates.