Variation of the alkaloids ergovaline and peramine in wild populations of endophyte infected Festuca rubra

Festuca rubra is a perennial grass which is naturally infected by the endophytic fungus Epichloe festucae. Infected grass plants produce several alkaloids toxic to herbívores. In natural grasslands from western Spain, where cattle are maintaíned under extensive management, 70 % of the Festuca rubra plants were found to be infected by Epichloe festucae. We determined the concentration of the alkaloids ergovaline (toxic to livestock) and pera mine (an inseet feeding deterrent) in endophyte infeeted plants from two wild p9pulations of Festuca rubra. Both alkaloids were detected in plants of both populations. The percentage of plants containing ergovaline ranged from 17-50 % and that containing peramine from 3380 % at each population studied. A low percentage of the plants (10-17 %) were found to produce both alkaloids. In one of the populations 70 % of the analysed plants produced peramine but not ergovaline.The researeh was finaneed through grants AGL2002-02766 AGR-FOR from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and CSI 6/01 from the Junta de Castilla y Le6n. Thanks are due to Yolanda Arnaiz for technieal assistance in the analysis of alkaloids