We used androgenesis in vitro to reduce ploidy level in tetraploid hybrids (L. multiflorum × F. pratensis and L. perenne × F. pratensis) and tetraploid L. multiflorum. Obtained diploids have higher potential to be used as turf breeding material.
Grasses are among the most important and widely cultivated crops. Among them, ryegrasses (Lolium spp.) and fescues (Festuca spp.) provide high quality fodder for livestock, are used for turf and amenity purposes, and play a fundamental role in environment protection. Species from the two genera display complementary agronomic characteristics and are often grown in mixtures. Breeding efforts to combine desired features in single entities culminated with the production of Festuca × Lolium hybrids.
