Selection and stability of synthetic varieties of Lolium perenne

Summary The performance of three experimental cultivars of Lolium perenne selected for yield or water soluble carbohydrate content was monitored over four generations of seed multiplication under relaxed selection. In each variety the selected trait regressed towards that of the base population from which the selection line derived. This could be accounted for by residual genetic variation within the lines for the selected trait, and in some instances, by association of this variation with the fitness character, seed numbers produced. These results emphasize the need for practical breeding programmes to consider the nature of the gene action controlling the selected trait, if additive, directional selection should be effective in increasing the expression of the character. Where ambidirectional dominance and epistasis are important, consideration should be given to means of achieving reassortment of the controlling genes prior to selection.