EFFECTS OF PRODUCTION FACTORS ON SEED YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF RED FESCUE (FESTUCA-RUBRA L SSP GENUINA HACK) .2. EFFECTS OF PRODUCTIONFACTORS ON PANICLE PRODUCTIVITY

The studies of effects of production factors on panicle productivity o f red fescue resulted in the following conclusions: 1. The nutrient su pply has a primary role in the increase of number of flowers in the pa nicle influencing the potential yield and consequently the panicle pro ductivity. The highest values of panicle productivity were reached as a result of NPK fertilization followed by NP, NK, N, PK, P and K ferti lization. 2. Concerning this yield component the results also proved t he determinative effect of nitrogen supply. In the productive years an d as an average of the experimental years the number of seeds develope d in one panicle was influenced mainly by the nitrogen. The number of seeds per panicle showed significant increase up to the level of 180 k g/ha N effective agent. 3. The effect of phosphorus and potassium fert ilizers was considerably lower than that of the nitrogen fertilizer. T he number of seeds per inflorescence was not increased at all by the p otassium fertilizer, and by phosphorus fertilizer it was increased rel iably only at a dose of 120 kg/ha. 4. The highest values of panicle pr oductivity were obtained as a result of the nitrogen fertilizer applie d in two doses (1/3 early autumn and 2/3 early spring) based on the av erage of the three years and all the other factors. 5. The result of i nterrelationship ''amount of nitrogen effective agent x grass stand de nsity'' referred to the fact that the medium (180 kg/ha) and high (270 kg/ha) doses of nitrogen fertilizer counterbalance the depressive eff ect of the higher grass stand densities (stripe sowing) experienced in the controls and at low N doses. 6. The results of the experiments sh owed the unexpected, moderate effect of the adequate water supply (irr igation). The irrigation did not influence considerably the number of flowers and seeds per inflorescence, thus the percent of fecundation w as not influenced either.