Fescue Grasses Differ Greatly in Adaptation, Winter Hardiness, and Therefore Usefulness in Southcentral Alaska
Leslie J. Klebesadel, Emeritus Professor of Agronomy
Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Palmer, Alaska
Bulletin 92; March 1993 (15 pages)
Summary
This report summarizes agronomic research with several species of fescue (Festuca spp.) conducted over recent decades at the Matanuska Research Farm (61.6°N) near Palmer in southcentral Alaska. Cultivars and strains within five species of fescue from Alaska, Canada, the conterminous states, and Europe were evaluated for winter hardiness and for forage production in comparison with two standard, non-fescue forage cultivars. Certain aspects of physiological behavior associated with winter hardiness were compared in red fescue cultivars of diverse latitudinal adaptation.
· Tall fescue (F. arundinacea) and meadow fescue (F. elatior), broad-leaved species used for forage and pasture in Europe, Canada, and the conterminous states, usually winter-killed during the first winter or sustained severe winter injury; only low forage yields were produced by those badly injured strains, and none survived beyond the second winter. Neither of these species is suited for dependable use in this area.
· The two strains evaluated of the fine-leaved chewings fescue (F. rubra var. commutata) were slightly more winter hardy than the broad-leaved species. However, both always sustained severe winter injury, produced low yields of forage, and no stands survived beyond the fourth winter.
· One cultivar of the fine-leaved hard fescue (F. ovina var. duriuscula) survived for the full term of a twoyear experiment but frequently sustained severe winter injury and produced only modest yields of forage from badly thinned stands.
· Seven cultivars of the fine-leaved red fescue (F. rubra var. rubra) were compared; these represented a wide range of latitudinal adaptation and they showed a very wide range of winter hardiness in experiments.
· Red fescue cultivars from the northernmost origins, and from where winter stresses are greatest, were the most winter hardy and produced most forage. Conversely, cultivars from southernmost origins, and from areas where winter stresses are least severe, were least winter hardy; they either winter-killed early or produced low forage yields from injured stands. Cultivars from intermediate latitudes were intermediate in both winter hardiness and forage production.
· General rank of winter hardiness of the red fescue cultivars was: Arctared > Duraturf > Boreal > Olds > Ranier = Pennlawn > Illahee.
· Of three Canadian cultivars, Duraturf, derived from an introduction from relatively northern latitudes (Scandinavia), was more winter hardy and productive than Olds and Boreal, cultivars developed from germplasm that originated from more southern origins (Czechoslovakia).
· Three red fescue cultivars from a wide range of latitudinal origins were compared for certain characteristics associated with winter hardiness. The northernmost-adapted cultivar, Arctared from Alaska, had highest percent dry matter and highest level of stored food reserves in crown tissues at onset of winter, showed best winter survival and produced highest forage yields. Illahee, the southernmost-adapted cultivar, was lowest in percent dry matter and level of stored food reserves in autumn, poorest in winter survival, and therefore lowest in forage yields. Duraturf, of intermediate latitudinal origin, was intermediate for all characteristics.
· Arctared red fescue gave evidence of being somewhat more winter hardy than the very winter-hardy Polar bromegrass, and tended to be slightly more productive of forage over long-term (sixyear) experiments. However, conventional farm-type forage-harvest equipment would recover virtually all forage produced by the taller-growing bromegrass, but would not recover as much of the forage produced by the shorter-growing red fescue as was accomplished by small-plot equipment in these experiments.
· Of the two standard forage grass cultivars used to compare with fescues, Polar bromegrass was considerably more winter hardy and productive of forage than was Engmo timothy.
· These results show that, of five fescue species compared, the most winter-hardy and productive cultivars were found within red fescue.
· These results also reveal that a great range of winter hardiness, and therefore suitability for use in southcentral Alaska, exists among the several cultivars compared within red fescue. Alaska growers should be aware of these differences and choose the best adapted, most winter-hardy cultivars for use here.