b'Seed production, however, faces additional challenges, particularly due to EU regulatory changes. Over the past decade, political agendas have limited the use of certain chemical plant pro-tection products, historically employed to ensure high-quality seed certification. This creates difficul-ties in regions where weed populations are building up. At the end-user level, the removal of crop pro-tection primarily affects professional turf manag-ers, who often have limited tools to combat disease outbreaks, Rasmussen notes.Charrier adds that with the decreasing number Barbara Hinds- of herbicides available to seed growers, produc-Cook, DLFing seed at a high level of quality and purity has breeder inBarenbrug turfbecome increasingly challenging. Washingtonbreeder StphaneNew crop management techniques are being State, U.S.Charrier. trialled to counterbalance these issues.PHOTO: DLFSabrina Rasmussen,These pressures underscore the importance DLFs fescue breederof integrating breeding, agronomic practices, and in Denmark.PHOTO: DLF technological monitoring to maintain both yield and quality in modern Festuca varieties.Uniformity and Other ChallengesDSVs approach in tall fescue forage breeding prioritises forage and seedDLF, Barenbrug, and DSV rely primarily on their yield, black rust resistance, leaf softness, feeding value (especially digestibility),own breeding material but also incorporate com-density, winter growth and summer persistence. In meadow fescue, breederspetitors varieties, wild collections, and genebank additionally focus on resistance to black rust, crown rust, and leaf spots, alongaccessions. Regarding germplasm availability, the with winter hardiness, feeding value and ground cover. companies emphasise that the ITPGRFA Annex 1 list supersedes the requirements of the Nagoya Breeding Methods Protocol, enabling the collection of wild Festuca Barbara Hinds-Cook, breeder in Washington, explains DLF breeds Festucaspecies.species like other out-crossing grasses, through half-sib open pollination orFestucas wide genetic diversity, while a valu-full-sib controlled pollination, followed by careful selection of the offspring. able resource, presents challenges for meeting They develop tetraploid meadow fescue varieties via colchicine treatment.Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) Barenbrug employs extensive Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) analyses torequirements. Abelard notes that uniformity is par-assess crop quality and select superior lines. ticularly difficult to achieve. Uniformity in Festuca Labarneix emphasizes that Festucas perennity and natural abiotic resist- is heavily influenced by weather conditions. This ance make it relatively easier to breed compared with other grasses. Hinds- has become increasingly apparent in recent Cook adds that most Festuca species flower two to three weeks earlier thanyears, with atypical winter and spring conditions other grasses, requiring early assessment of parental material in the spring. observed across Europe.Compared with forage perennial ryegrass, tall fescue is a hexaploid. QuittQuitt adds that despite high genetic variability, notes that the development of tetraploid meadow fescue varieties in recentcareful observation and selection help maintain years has helped improve forage quality and facilitated breeding progress. uniformity.For uniformity and stability, we combine plants Yield and Seed Production with similar phenotypes for key DUS traitssuch Accurate measurement of yield is a cornerstone of fescue breeding. Atas heading date, plant height, and leaf sizeinto a Barenbrug, Festuca yield is primarily measured using a Haldrup cuttingsynthetic variety. Multiplications are then checked machine, which allows precise assessments of forage performance.for uniformity, and off-types are selected against if DLF uses combines equipped with Near-Infrared (NIR) cameras to measurenecessary.both fresh and dry matter directly in the field.Labarneix says that Festucas self-incompatibility NIR data are later used to predict forage quality parameters, explainscomplicates achieving homogeneity, but it also facili-Sabrina Rasmussen, DLFs fescue breeder in Denmark. We see potential fortates plant crosses and creates selection diversity for combining NIR with machine learning to push beyond the typical annual yieldtraits like drought and disease tolerance.SWgains of 0.2%0.3% in grass crops.60/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2025'