Seed related traits in two cultivars of the megathermic forage species Panicum coloratum var. makarikariense in a temperate environment

MORESCO LIRUSSO, MARÍA FLORENCIA; SACIDO, MÓNICA BENITA; GUILLERMO R. PRATTA; FELITTI, S.A.

Ciencias Agronómicas

FCA-UNR

Lugar: Rosario; Año: 2021 vol. 38

1853-4333

Panicum coloratum is a C4 grass species native to South Africa. In Argentina it is valued for its production of good quality forage in environments with limited resources. The harvest of seeds is limited by uneven maturation of the seeds within the panicle and its almost immediate dehiscence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of two cultivars of Panicum coloratum with respect to seed dehiscence, germination and panicle-related traits influencing seed production in two growing seasons (2017 and 2019). Dehiscence was evaluated weekly using seed traps. The results showed significant differences between cultivars in both years. The seed shedding peak occurred at the same phenological stage in both cultivars. Germination behavior was not influenced by environmental conditions and both cultivars produced seeds with high germination percentages in the different treatments. Principal Component Analysis detected high variability and highly significant correlations for panicle-related variables for both years and for the whole dataset. In all cases, the first two Principal Components explained a high percentage of the total variability. According to the results of this work, cv. Kapivera has higher seed retention ability and lower seed production than cv. Bambatsi.