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A committed young lecturer attached
to the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, teaching
students from various social and cultural backgrounds along with a dynamic yet growing
research exposure during eight years of early career. Possesses excellent
administrative, communication and, writing skills along with constructive and
conversant tactics to promote a stimulating learning and research
environment. Believes in the motto “Career is a journey, not a destination”.
Able to work also in a managerial role or as a part of a team while having
the proven ability to work to flexible schedules and tight deadlines
successfully. |
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Locating key drought tolerance strategies of Lolium
perenne L. to strengthen pasture improvement programs
L.V.Y. WEERARATHNE, I. LOPEZ, Z. JAHUFER, C. MATTHEW
Department of Crop Science,
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
[School of Agriculture
and Environment, College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442,
New Zealand]
Drought
tolerance (DT) of Lolium perenne L. (PRG) is a much-needed but an
insufficiently researched topic for pasture breeding purposes. In summer
2017/18, 440 genotypes from three hardy PRG cultivars were established in a
glasshouse pot experiment for 12 weeks, exposed to a physiological drought for
four weeks, and data on shoot and root dry weight, soil moisture and leaf water
relations traits were submitted to principal component analysis (PCA). PCA
indicated a primary DT trait association ('Type A'; 40% data variation
explained) defined by increased yield linked to more negative leaf osmotic
potential, deep rooting, and increased soil moisture extraction and a secondary
DT strategy in different genotypes ('Type B'; 16% data variation explained)
linked to high yield, negative leaf osmotic potential and deep rootedness, but
with soil moisture retention. In a follow up experiment in a second growing
season, selected 'Type A' and 'Type B' genotypes were further studied including
sugar and proline accumulation and photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence
traits. It was concluded that 'type B' plants expressing sugar accumulation and
reduced stomatal water loss are promising for development of DT in PRG.
Subsequent experiments have examined the quantitative genetic parameters of key
traits and found them highly heritable.