LONG-TERM CHANGES OF ENDOPHYTE INFECTION IN TALL FESCUE STANDS

Pastures of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) presumed to be free of t he endophytic fungus (Acremonium coenophialum) had increasing levels o f endophyte, averaging 4% per annum over periods of 9-12 years. Simila rly, replicated plots sown at four levels of initial endophyte infecti on increased in infection over a 4-year period: for example, plots wit h a 27% initial level increased to 84%, and those with a level of 58% increased to 92% by the fourth year. Mowing plots to prevent seed form ation did not affect the rate of change in infection percentage, excep t that plots with 0% initial endophyte began to show detectable levels in unmown blocks, presumably, as a result of contamination by seed fr om adjacent infected plots. By the fourth year of the study, fescue pl ant densities, measured by plant counts, as well as ground cover, were significantly higher in plots with high initial endophyte level. It i s proposed that the change in infection percentage was due to enhanced survival of infected plants in mixed stands where there was intense c ompetition for available moisture in conditions of drought.