Reductions in either lignin concentration or ferulate cross-linking have been shown to be independent mechanisms for increasing herbage digestibility by increasing the enzymatic degradability of cell-wall polysaccharides. However, both of these traits are frequently associated with reductions in agronomic fitness, including dwarfing, developmental abnormalities, and loss of persistence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of selection for these two traits on agronomic fitness of three temperate perennial grasses: orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerate L.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), and smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.). All possible crosses were made within three groups of eight parents, with parents selected to represent four divergent phenotypes: high or low etherified ferulates and high or low Klason lignin. Progeny were evaluated for forage yield under a three-cut management and for tiller density and ground cover under a frequent-harvest management. Selection for reduced lignin concentration had highly variable and inconsistent impacts on agronomic fitness, varying widely among species. Conversely, selection for reduced ferulate cross-linking resulted in a general decline for all measures of agronomic fitness within each species. The results support the hypothesis put forward from an earlier study and from the literature that reduced ferulate cross-linking results in significant impairments to stem development of these temperate grasses.

木质素浓度或阿魏酸交联的降低已被证明是通过增加细胞壁多糖的酶促降解能力来增加牧草消化率的独立机制。然而，这两种性状通常都与农艺适应性降低有关，包括矮化、发育异常和持久性丧失。本研究的目的是评估这两个性状的选择对三种温带多年生禾本科植物农艺适应性的影响：果园 ( Dactylis glomerate L.)、芦苇 ( Phalaris arundinacea L.) 和凤梨( Bromus inermis)莱斯。）。所有可能的杂交都是在三组 8 个亲本中进行的，选择的亲本代表四种不同的表型：高或低醚化阿魏酸和高或低 Klason 木质素。在三割管理下对后代的草料产量以及在频繁收获管理下的分蘖密度和地面覆盖情况进行评估。选择降低木质素浓度对农艺适应性具有高度可变和不一致的影响，在物种之间差异很大。相反，选择减少阿魏酸交联导致每个物种内所有农艺适应性措施的普遍下降。结果支持早期研究和文献中提出的假设，即减少阿魏酸交联会导致这些温带草的茎发育显着受损。