Seed Yield and Lodging Assessment in Red Fescue (Festuca rubra L.) Sprayed with Trinexapac-Ethyl

Abstract

Red fescue (Festuca rubra) is used in seed mixtures for lawns and pastures. It is prone to lodge at flowering, and plant growth regulators (PGRs) are used to prevent lodging, ensuring sufficient pollination. Seed yield and lodging were studied over three years in a red fescue field established with four seeding rates (2, 4, 6 and 8 kg ha−1) and sprayed each year with three doses of the PGR trinexapac-ethyl (250 g L−1) (0, 0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 L ha−1). Half of each plot was sprayed with the PGR and the other half was left unsprayed as control. The degree of lodging was assessed by analysing drone images in the second year of the experiment and using a 10-point scale for scoring lodging at the ground. Generally, application of PGR increased the seed yield but the effect varied between years. There was no interaction between the PGR dosage and seeding rate. We found a positive correlation between the blue intensity of the images and lodging. PGR dosage significantly affected lodging evaluated by visual ranking and the blue intensity of the images, while the seeding rates did not affect lodging. Lodging affected seed yield negatively.