Influence ofAcremonium loliipresence on emergence and growth of ryegrass seedlings

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Abstract
An experiment was carried out during winter in a heated glasshouse to assess the influence of the presence of the fungal endophyte, A. lolii Latch, Christensen & Samuels, on the emergence and growth of seedlings of ‘Grasslands Ariki’ ryegrass (Lolium × hybridum Hausskn) in the absence of insect pests. Tiller numbers, shoot and root dry weights, and presence or absence of A. lolii were determined when seedlings were harvested 40 days after emergence. The endophyte was detected in 125 of 318 seedlings harvested. The rate of emergence of seedlings was unaffected by A. lolii presence. Tiller numbers, shoot, root, and tiller weights at harvest were influenced by seed weight (1, 2, 3, and 4 mg seed weight categories) but not by A. lolii presence. There was, however, an interaction between seed weight category and endophyte presence: endophyte-infected seedlings derived from the 3 mg seed weight category had fewer tillers and lower shoot weights than did the comparable endophyte-free seedlings.