Comprehensive evaluation of production performance and nutritional quality of 16 Bromus inermis germplasm resources

To select the Bromus inermis germplasm materials with excellent performance and nutritional quality, performance and nutritional quality indicators of 16 germplasm resources were measured and analyzed, and a comprehensive evaluation was performed using gray relational and cluster analyses. The results showed that there were significant differences in the production performance and nutritional quality of the different B. inermis germplasm materials (P < 0.05). The fresh yield of Q6, Q8, and Q2 and the hay yield of Q16 and Q4 were significantly higher than the other germplasm materials (P < 0.05), which can be used as basic materials for obtaining high grass yield. Q16 had high crude protein content, low acid detergent fiber content, high forage digestibility, and excellent nutritional quality. The leaf-stem ratios of Q2, Q4, Q10, and Q14 were significantly higher than those of the other germplasm materials (P < 0.05). The cluster analysis divided the 16 germplasm materials into four categories, and the clustering results had little relationship with the place of origin. Based on the gray correlation analysis, the leaf-stem ratio, hay yield, crude ash, and crude protein had the largest weights in the comprehensive evaluation of production performance and nutritional quality of B. inermis, which can be used as key traits in the evaluation and selection of B. inermis varieties. Q6, Q4, Q10, Q16, Q2, and Q8 had the highest correlation coefficients with ideal strains and the best comprehensive performance, and could provide the basic materials for the improvement and breeding of new B. inermis varieties.