Emergence and initial growth of tall fescue free and infected with wild or safe endophytes

Abstract

The objective of this work was to assess, during the early stages of tall fescue implantation, the percentage of emergence, the emergence speed index, biomass production and root proportion of a naturalized population from Buenos Aires province (S) and cv. Taita (T), free (S- and T-, respectively) and infected with the wild endophyte Epichloë coenophiala (S+) and with the safe endophyte AR584 respectively (T+). Eight seedling trays with 50 cells were sown for each treatment (i.e. S-, S+, T- and T+) and placed on a bare soil in such a way that the upper surface of the trays was at soil level. The number of emerged seedlings was recorded daily up to 28 days after sowing and percentage and emergence speed index were calculated. At 47 days from sowing the biomass of shoot and roots of the plants was determined. At 28 days from sowing, no significant differences were registered in the number of emerged seedlings within endophyte-infected (p=0.9965) or endophyte-free (p=0.7525) treatments. No significant differences (p=0.4738) were found among treatments for the emergence speed index. The total biomass per plant for endophyte-infected tall fescues was higher than for endophyte-free ones due to a higher root biomass, although for both variables the differences were significant (p<0,001) only in cv. Taita. In our conditions, the presence of both endophytes allowed the respective tall fescues to increase the percentage of seedling emergence and to promote root development in cv. Taita.