Project Number: 5428-21000-014-03
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Apr 01, 2009
End Date: Mar 31, 2013

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to develop technologies and methodologies associated with grass endophytes and evaluate plant germplasm (grass and legumes) for use in irrigated and non-irrigated pastures.

Approach:
Collaborative experiments will be designed and implemented either in the laboratory or the field depending upon the objective. Laboratory experiments will be conducted jointly in Logan, Utah, and the Center for Frigid Zone Plant Gene Resource Research of Heilongjiang Province, China (CFZPR) where endophytes and evaluation of germplasm for abiotic stress environments are involved. Where experiments involve the development of technologies (morphological and molecular) for endophyte identification, work will be performed in Logan, Utah. Germplasm evaluation of Chinese and U.S. grass and legume accessions (cultivars and lines) will be conducted in the Great Basin region of Utah and in the Heilongjiang Province, China, under irrigated and non-irrigated growing areas as deemed appropriate. This research will attempt to: 1)Evaluate the performance of grasses and legumes under abiotic stress conditions; 2) Develop breeding methodologies for improved agronomic performance of pasture species (grasses and legumes); 3) Evaluate the nutritional quality of pasture species in animal production (e.g., dairy cattle and sheep); 3) Develop methodologies associated with the identification of endophytes and their inoculation into novel grass plants; 4) Develop methodologies (morphological, biochemical, and molecular) which will identify specific endophytes; and, 5) Evaluate agronomic performance of endophyte (+) and non-endophyte (-) containing novel Chinese and U.S. grass germplasm along with appropriate + or - endophyte containing control germplasm under differing growing conditions (e.g., abiotic and biotic stress).