L. perenne

Grass root turn-over for improved soil
hydrology to combat flooding
Humphreys M.W., Turner L.B., O’Donovan S.A.,
Macleod C.J.A., Whalley W.R., Haygarth P.M.

Floods in Cumbria:“Flood-stricken parts of the UK are
bracing themselves for more rain after England's wettest
day on record swamped homes and brought down bridges”.
(BBC 21 st . November 2009)
In June and July 2007 torrential rain lashed the country,
flooding Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Wales, the Midlands and
the West Country.

Festuca arundinacea
1
10cms
Binley, Lancaster University
Differences in soil structure in surface 10cms soil cores following
3 month root growth of Lolium multiflorum and Festuca arundinacea.
1
10cms
Lolium multiflorum
Lolium spp
Festulolium

FINDING NOVEL GENETIC VARIATION FOR FLOOD
TOLERANCE: FESTULOLIUM LOLIACEUM TO COMBAT
CLIMATE CHANGE
2 genomes of F. pratensis
+ 1 genome of L. perenne
2 genomes of L. perenne
+ 1 genome of F. pratensis
Humphreys & Harper (2008)
Crop Wild Relative 6:1-3
1 genome of L. perenne
+ 1 genome of F. pratensis

Rowden platform, North Wyke Research Station
L. perenne; L. multiflorum; F. pratensis; F. arundinacea; L. perenne x F. pratensis;
L. multiflorum x F. glaucescens (4 replicate plots)

ERT Survey March 2009 (Kit MacLeod (North Wyke Research Station)
L. perenne cultivar 2.5m
Log resistivity
Festulolium cv Prior 2.5m
Species cultivar
2.28
2.26
2.24
2.22
2.2
2.18
2.16
2.14
2.12
2.1
2.08
2.06
2.04
2.02
2
1.98
1.96
1.94
1.92
1.9
Mean runoff over
34 rainfall events
L. perenne cutivar 70% run-off
F. pratensis cultivar 50% run-off
L. perenne x F. pratensis cv Prior 35% run-off

June 2007
(9 months root growth)
Festulolium cv Lusilium
Lolium perenne*
Festuca arundinacea
Lolium multiflorum
Festulolium cv Prior
Festuca pratensis*

L. perenne
F. pratensis
LxF cv Prior
L. perenne
F. pratensis
LxF cv Prior

Using Festulolium for flood control
L. perenne cultivar Festulolium cultivar
Total Roots
New Roots
Total Roots
New roots
Spring 2007
Comparison in 6 months shoot & root growth in
L. perenne cultivars and Festulolium cv Prior

Total
Rainfall
L. perenne cultivar Festulolium cv Prior
Using Festulolium for flood
control
60% run-off
New roots
New roots
25% run-off
70% run-off
from total rainfall
35% run-off from
total rainfall
10% run-off
New roots
Dead Roots
10% run-off
30% rainfall
retained
65% rainfall
retained
2008- shoot & root growth in L. perenne and Festulolium cv Prior and the impacts
of dead roots on soil hydrology

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MONOSOMIC CHROMOSOME
SUBSTITUTION LINES
L. perenne (4x) ♀ X F. pratensis (2x)
L. perenne* (2x) ♀
X
F 1 Hybrid (3x)
King et al. 2002
Genetics 161: 315-324
L. perenne* (2x) (Lp) ♀
X
BC 1 (2x)
*Same L. perenne genotype
Chromosome Substitution
Lines
Recombination series for
chromosome substitution lines

Root Distribution 18th April 2007
(0 - 100 cm depth - Scale 0 - 4)
Root Distribution 17 th September 2007
(0 – 100 cm depth – Scale 0 – 4)

Difference in root growth between irrigated & droughted
substitution lines & parents on 17 th September 2007
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1
-1.2
10cm 10-20cm 20-30cm 30-40cm 40-50cm 50-60cm 60-70cm 70-80cm 80-90cm 90-100cm
10cm 10-20cm 20-30cm 30-40cm 40-50cm 50-60cm 60-70cm 70-80cm 80-90cm 90-100cm
Chr 1
Chr 2
Chr 3
Chr 4
Chr 5
Chr 6
Chr 7
Meltra
Lp (4x)
Fp 1183 (2x)
F1 (3x)
Lp(2x)
Liprior

Lolium & Festuca allele interactions in root trait QTL on Chromosome 3
+ Proportion of deep roots under drought -
+ New roots -
SC
PC
+ New roots -
+ Root length -
+ Root system size -
- Root strength/penetration +
S
C
PC
Additive effect
of + Lolium &
Festuca alleles
Lolium alleles
- Proportion of deep roots under drought +
- New roots +
Complementary effects of Lolium & Festuca alleles on
root growth traits when droughted
Festuca alleles

A MODEL DESIGN FOR A WATER AND NUTRIENT EFFICIENT FORAGE GRASS
THAT IMPROVES SOIL STRUCTURE AND HYDROLOGY