GENETIC VARIABILITY IN THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND OTHER QUALITY TRAITS OF TIMOTHY

The breeding of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is mainly targetted at improving the nutritive value of the crop. Three physical properties, packed volume (PV), water retention (WR) and water solubility (WS) have been suggested as indirect measurements of voluntary intake. Variation for these three traits was estimated at the early heading and the flowering stages for 2 consecutive years within four timothy populations (Itasca, Labelle, Pronto and Richmond). Significant genetic variation was observed for PV, WR, WS, plant height (PH), dry matter yield (DMY), crude protein (CP), and digestibility (IVDMD) but the magnitude of the variation was inconsistent among populations. Curiously, PV, WR and WS seemed to improve from early heading to flowering. Significant variation was observed in all four populations for PV, in three populations for WS and in only two populations for WR. The different interactions between genotypes, years and maturities indicated that different selection strategies might be needed accor...