Root growth and protective enzymes of Festuca arundinacea L. and Lolium perenne L. under Cu stress were investigated in a hydroponic experiment. Cu stress significantly inhibited root growth (root elongation and dry biomass) of both turfgrasses. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content in roots of both turfgrasses markedly increased under copper stress. In F. arundinacea root, superoxide dismutase (SOD) a...

Silicon (Si) is taken up from the soil as monosilicic acid by plant roots, transported to leaves and deposited as phytoliths, amorphous silica (SiO2) bodies, which are a key component of anti-herbivore defense in grasses. Silicon transporters have been identified in many plant species, but the mechanisms underpinning Si transport remain poorly understood. Specifically, the extent to which Si up...

The nonergot alkaloid-producing endo-phyte, AR542, has been shown to improve the persistence and yield of tall fescue pastures without causing the animal disorders commonly associated with tall fescue toxicosis. A 3-yr grazing study was conducted to compare effects of AR542-infected tall fescue pastures with wild type endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue pastures on cow-calf performance. Replica...

An efficient genetic transformation system for tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated TDNA delivery, is described. Seed-derived embryogenic calli were infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring plasmids pTOK47 and pCAMBIA1301. Infected calli were selected at 250 mg L 1 hyg B and the regenerated plantlets at 50 mg L . Using the p...

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) toxicosis research is often complicated by a reduction in intake of infected forage or seed, making treatment comparisons difficult. This study was conducted to develop a fescue toxicosis model that would allow for variations in DMI without altering the quantity of alkaloids consumed over the course of the experiment. Ground tall fescue seed and a tall fescue s...

Drought tolerant plant genotypes are able to maintain stability and integrity of cellular membranes in unfavorable conditions, and to regenerate damaged membranes after stress cessation. The profiling of cellular glycerolipids during drought stress performed on model species such as Arabidopsis thaliana does not fully cover the picture of lipidome in monocots, including grasses. Herein, two clo...

Plant contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is crucial to food safety and human health. Enzyme inhibitors are commonly utilized in agriculture to control plant metabolism of organic components. This study revealed that the enzyme inhibitor ascorbic acid (AA) significantly reduced the activities of peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), thus enhancing the potential ris...

Plant cytochrome P450s are involved in a wide range of biosynthetic reactions that generate various biomolecules, including a variety of defensive compounds. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) are two major species of turf and forage grasses that usually experience low temperature below -10°C and high temperature over 38°C around the world. In this study, ...

BACKGROUND Antarctic hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctica Desv.) is the only natural grass species in the maritime Antarctic. It has been researched as an important ecological marker and as an extremophile plant for studies on stress tolerance. Despite its importance, little genomic information is available for D. antarctica. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome, transcriptome profiles ...

Improved cool-season grass cultivars may add production potential to ruminant enterprises across the North–South transition zone. Quality among hays of ‘MaxQ’ (‘Jesup’ with novel endophyte), HM4 (‘HiMag’ with novel endophyte No. 4) and ‘Cajun’ (without endophyte) tall fescues [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.] and ‘Persist’ orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) was evaluated. Forage was ha...