Rapid flowering under greenhouse conditions and lack of awns are widespread among tetraploid Elymus species

A strong vernalization requirement can increase the amount of time needed per breeding cycle for cool season grasses, and the presence of awns can be an eye irritant to grazing livestock. Our objective was to identify awnless tetraploid (2n = 4x = 28) Elymus accessions capable of flowering quickly and consistently in the greenhouse. A total of 244 accessions, encompassing 27 Elymus species and subspecies, were evaluated during three different time periods in the greenhouse at Ardmore, OK. Heading date of accessions ranged from 53 to 90 d after planting, with 175 accessions representing 20 species or subspecies, flowering within 90 d of planting in the greenhouse. Eighty-eight accessions, representing 11 species or subspecies, were awnless or awnletted (i.e., awns