Competition Between Perennial Ryegrass, Meadow Fescue and Their Natural Hybrid: Variation in Growth Rates and in the Proportion of Each Species with Time

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Abstract
The growth rate of a triplold hybrid plant, taken from a natural population of hybrids between ryegrass and meadow fescue, was compared with the growth rates of 1 plant each of the parental species in an attempt to account for the apparent success of the hybrid in nature. Experiments were carried out in the field on isolated plants and on the same plants under competitive conditions under "hay" and "grazing" management. As isolated plants, the hybrid was found to grow the fastest during mid-summer while meadow fescue and ryegrass grew more rapidly in the autumn and early winter periods respectively. Under competitive conditions and both systems of management, the parental species maintained an equilibrium with each other but each was suppressed by the hybrid. This was attributed to the higher growth rate of the hybrid in summer and the fact that the parental species did not grow faster in the autumn and winter periods. The relatively small quantity of fertilizer applied in the autumn seriously decreased the ability of ryegrass and fescue to compete with the hybrid. The hybrid did not grow faster in summer solely because it was less affected than ryegrass by lack of water or nutrients.

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