A new tall fescue with a beneficial endophyte

Un Nuevo Pasto alto con un Endofito Benéfico

West, C. and Piper, E. and Nihsen, M. and Rosenkrans, C. and Crawford, R. and Sleper, D. and Mayland, H. and Gunterb, S. (2003) A new tall fescue with a beneficial endophyte. pp. 754-757. In: Proc. Second National Conference on Grazing Lands. USA-TN-Nashville, 2003/12/07-10.

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Abstract

Researchers from the University of Arkansas, University of Missouri, and the USDA Agricultural
Research Service cooperated in an effort to produce a new cultivar of tall
fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) containing an endophyte (Neotyphodium
coenophialum) which does not produce ergot alkaloids. Our objective was to select and
introduce an endophyte which was not toxic to livestock be that retained the beneficial
characteristic of enhancing plant drought tolerance. Studies were conducted in Arkansas
and Missouri to test the safety and persistence of the cultivar HiMag with a nontoxic
endophyte, referred to here as ArkPlus. ArkPlus was shown to produce steer weight
gains as high as HiMag fescue without endophyte, and significantly higher than
Kentucky-31 fescue with its natural, toxic endophyte. Stand persistence of ArkPlus was
as good as toxic Kentucky-31 and better than endophyte-free HiMag in southwest
Arkansas. ArkPlus Brand tall fescue is currently being marketed by FFR Cooperative
and through its associated cooperatives throughout most states in the southeast.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
NWISRL Publication Number:	1130
Additional Information:	CD-ROM
Subjects:	Irrigated crops > Grass forage Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:56
Last Modified:	03 Nov 2016 16:17
Item ID:	951
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/951