AbstractPlant maturity descriptors are important for many forage breeding decisions and in forage production research. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of genotypes, maturity rating scale, maturity rating unit, and observer on visual evaluations of maturity inDactylis glomerata.Tetraploid clonal material was planted at three locations in Wisconsin in August of 1986. All plants were rated for maturity in early June 1987; locations were rated within 3 days of each other. For most family‐location combinations, parents were more advanced in maturity than offspring family means. Family maturity could not be predicted from mean parent maturity scores. Genotype × location was the only significant interaction. On the average, the single digit rating scale led to an earlier assigned maturity value than the two‐digit scale. The discrepancy between the rating scales was dependent on location. High phenotypic correlations between rating units and between rating scales suggested that ratings can be done on a whole‐plant basis using either scale. However, if maturity is used as a covariate for another trait, a two‐digit scale is p
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