EXTERIORIZATION OF QUANTITATIVE TRAITS WITH INFLUENCE ON FORAGE YIELD IN ITALIAN RYEGRASS

The spread of Italian ryegrass culture worldwide is due to its large yield capacity, superior feed quality and the fact that it is an ideal blending partner. The Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) Is a very valuable forage plant with wide possibilities of use in animal feed (green mass, hay, silo) and has a very high capacity to adapt to different types of soils and climates. In this context, the aim of this research is to evaluate the differences between the growth traits and productivity of three varieties of Lolium multiflorum Lam. var. Westerwoldicum, sown in autumn in an area with cold winters. Two alternative tetraploid varieties (Linos and Ivan) and an alternative diploid variety - Sprint (Catalogo-zanandrea-sementi-en.pdf), recommended for green mass and silo, were used as biological material. In order to evaluate the three varieties, the basic green mass feed yield elements (number of tillers, their height and the weight of the bunch) and the green mass yield at the first harvest were taken into account. The results of the research show that the Linos variety recorded the highest weight of the bunch based on the large number of tiller and the height of the tillers. The variations are much larger between the Linos and Ivan varieties based on the number of tillers. The green mass yields of the three Italian ryegrass varieties studied are directly influenced by the values of the yield / bunch traits. Thus, the largest yield of green mass at the first harvest, of 28.9 t.ha-1, was also registered for the Linos variety. This study has a special practical importance, bringing a plus in the technology of cultivation of Italian ryegrass sown in autumn in the conditions of cold winters.