Variability of Selected Traits in Meadow Fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.) Plants with Different Susceptibility to Seed Shattering

In meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), a perennial fodder grass plant characterized by high quality and yield potential, seed shattering makes seed production difficult. The objective of the research was to compare two subpopulations, differing in a tendency to seed shattering, with respect to their variability in the beginning of the heading and flowering stages, their morphological traits (plant height and panicle length), and changes occurring at the site of the bonding between the caryopsis and the pedicel. The subpopulations were obtained by divergent selection carried out on four meadow fescue cultivars. Significant variability in years and subpopulations in respect of the tested traits was found. The subpopulation with a low tendency to seed shattering was characterized by a 2–3 day delay in the beginning of the heading and flowering stages. However, in both the subpopulations, a good flowering stage synchronization was found, with its variability being several times smaller when compared with the heading stage. Between the starting dates of these stages, a significant correlation was found (r = 0.828; p < 0.01). The clones with a high tendency of seed shattering were approximately 7 cm shorter, while the length of panicles was similar in both the subpopulations. The analysis, which was performed with the use of a scanning microscope, showed that, in genotypes with a low tendency to shattering, the formation of the abscission layer was four days late, which may confirm the effectiveness of the carried out selection.