Population variation in Sorghum halepense, Johnson grass, at the northern limits of its range

Abstract

Thirteen populations of Sorghum halepense, Johnson grass, were sampled from fields in Ontario, Canada, and Ohio and New York, United States. Only four of these populations were reported to overwinter as rhizomes. The morphology, phenology, resource allocation patterns, and growth of seedling and mature plants of the overwintering and the non-overwintering populations were compared. Field-collected specimens from the nonoverwintering populations had wider culms and leaves and larger seeds and inflorescences. Analysis of material grown in a 5-month greenhouse trial indicated similar differences. Greenhouse plants from the nonoverwintering populations were also characterized by greater percent emergence, larger and faster growing seedlings, earlier flowering, larger culms and seeds, greater reproductive dry weight per plant, and about 1/10th the rhizome dry weight of overwintering plants. Differences between populations within a biotype were evident for both biotypes, although there was little within-population variation, except in rhizome production, where certain individuals of some nonoverwintering populations did not produce extended rhizomes. Among the five enzymes which were examined electrophoretically, only one, phosphoglucomutase (PGM), showed variable isozyme patterns. No differences in enzyme patterns were apparent between the overwintering and the nonoverwintering biotypes. The relationship of the nonoverwintering populations to the cultivated species, Sorghum bicolor and S. almum, an introgressant between S. halepense and S. bicolor, is discussed.