Abstract
Worldwide, acreage under grassland is estimated to be twice that of cropland. Two closely related genera, Festuca L. (fescues) and Lolium L. (ryegrasses) are of significant value in temperate grasslands. These genera (tribe Poeae, subfamily Pooideae) contain well-adapted, very productive grasses widely distributed in temperate and cool climates in Europe, North and South America, North, East and South Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, where they are used for agricultural and recreational purposes (Jauhar 1993). They are important for grazing, stabilizing soil for agriculture, and enhancing the environment through multiple uses, such as forage, conservation and turf (Barnes 1990). Therefore, in the family Poaceae, the Festuca-Lolium group of grasses is among the most extensively studied by agronomists, plant breeders, animal scientists, taxonomists and cytogeneticists. The potential of biotechno-logical approaches has been recognized for the development of improved fescue and ryegrass cultivars (Barnes 1990; Kaul 1990; Jauhar 1993).
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Spangenberg, G., Wang, ZY., Potrykus, I. (1998). Introduction. In: Biotechnology in Forage and Turf Grass Improvement. Monographs on Theoretical and Applied Genetics, vol 23. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-72051-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-72051-2_1
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