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Growth Analysis Of Tall Fescue Genotypes Differing In Yield And Leaf Photosynthesis, Wallace Wilhelm, C. J. Nelson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Relationships between leaf photosynthesis and yield have not been well defined in forage grasses. Therefore, leaf growth, dry matter distribution, carbohydrate concentration, and growth analysis of four genotypes of tall fescue (Festuca mundinacea Schreb.) were examined. Genotypes, selected in the field for high and low CO₂ exchange rate (CER) in combination with high and low yield, were compared in an attempt to study the relationship between photosynthesis and yield.

In the vegetative growth stage, high yielding genotypes produced greater amounts of all plant parts (leaves, stem bases, and roots) than did low yielding genotypes; however, low yielding genotypes …