Epichloë endophyte and plant genotype determine seed production through self-pollination in tall fescue

• Published in: Euphytica 2017-11, Vol.213 (11), p.1-13, Article 250
• Main Authors: Zarean, M., Sabzalian, Mohammad R., Mirlohi, A., Davoudi, M., Ataii, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 29 August–1 September 2016; Agricultural production; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Crop yield; Crop yields; Endophytes; Fitness; Flowers & plants; Forage; Fungi; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; Grasses; Host plants; Inbreeding; Incompatibility; Infection; Life Sciences; Lolium arundinaceum; Nitrogen; Plant Breeding: the Art of Bringing Science to Life. Highlights of the 20th EUCARPIA General Congress; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant reproduction; Plant Sciences; Pollination; Seed industry; Seeds; Self-incompatibility; Switzerland; Toxicity; Zurich
• ISSN: 0014-2336; 1573-5060
• DOI: 10.1007/s10681-017-2037-7

Fitness in tall fescue could be determined as the relative seed production by overcoming self-incompatibility barriers. This study was an attempt to investigate the effects of plant genotype and symbiotic fungal endophyte on seed production and associated traits in tall fescue. Fifteen clones of tall fescue free from endophyte and two clones with both endophyte-infected (E+) and non-infected (E−) counterparts were evaluated under two pollination systems of natural open-pollination and obligate self-pollination. Although seed yield was depressed by self-pollination in all E− genotypes, some genotypes exhibited reasonable selfing ratio. However, endophyte infection was much more effective to increase selfing ratio and seed yield through self-pollination particularly in the genotype 75B. Endophyte infection almost removed self-incompatibilty in the host plants and on average resulted in 3.0 times more number of seeds per self-pollinated seedheads than the non-counterpart E− tall fescue genotypes. Although it may need more elaborated studies, incorporating Epichloë fungal endophyte in plant genotypes not only may make the inbreeding in tall fescue possible but also may improve forage yield and seed production, simultaneously.