Abstract Aims Root tensile tests are often rejected if failure location is outside the middle section of samples. This study aims to identify where and why occurs along a root axis, hence revisit current approaches test-validity. Methods Roots from Festuca arundinacea; Lolium multiflorum; perenne were sampled field-grown plants. tested using universal testing machine. samples randomly allocated...

Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are highly useful molecular markers for plant improvement. Expressed sequence tag (EST)-SSR markers have a higher rate of transferability across species than genomic SSR markers and are thus well suited for application in cross-species phylogenetic studies. Our objectives were to examine the amplification of tall fescue EST-SSR markers in 12 gra...