Location: Plant Science Research
Project Number: 5062-12210-004-060-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2023
End Date: Jun 30, 2026
Objective:
Objective 1: Aggregate data for common forage quality traits from historic and new experimental trials.
Objective 2: Use existing data to develop a module in CROPGRO-Alfalfa model for the prediction of alfalfa quality as a function of genetics, crop management, crop stage, and environmental conditions.
Objective 3: Evaluate performance of the CROPGRO-Alfalfa model against data on alfalfa yield and quality.
Objective 4: Develop an optimization framework and conduct scenario analysis for forage quality predictions using extensive weather, soil and management data from major alfalfa growing regions across the US.
Objective 5: Improve the FARMS web app decision support tool through stakeholder engagements and feedback to enhance user-interface, experience, and adoption in simulating and visualizing forage quality and yield predictions.
Approach:
ARS will be leading the data collection and analysis for Objective 1 and participate in Objective 5. Alll other objectives will be conducted by collaborators.
Objective 1: Historic forage quality data will be collected and aggregated from public databases and public research programs that have agreed to collaborate for this project and with appropriate legal agreements in place. Forage quality traits such as neutral detergent fiber (NDF) acid detergent fiber (ADF), and digestible NDF (IVNDFD) will be collated with weather data at the time of sampling to help develop a forage quality module in the current CROP-Alfalfa model.
Stem wall components will be quantified at each alfalfa growth stage, (cellulose, pectin, and hemi-cellulose) to improve the current alfalfa plant growth model within CROP-Alfalfa model.
Spaced plant nurseries in Minnesota will be tested to understand the relationship between forage quality and lignification. The alfalfa nursery will be composed of five cultivars that vary in forage quality. Three cultivars have been identified for high digestibility and forage quality, and two cultivars with low digestibility.
Morphology and lignification will be evaluated at five timepoints: vegetative, early bud, early flower, flowering, and green pod stage twice during the year for both stem and leaf components. Concentration and composition of cell walls in internodes and leaves will be determined from dried and ground material and composition of lignin determined by pyrolysis-GC-MS analysis. This data will be used to further optimize the CROPGRO-Alfalfa model.
Objective 5 will be to add to the current extension and outreach activities established to disseminate new information and technology. These activities include field days, creating user videos and scientific talks. More specifically how the newly developed CROPGRO-alfalfa model in FARMS and the iCrop decision support tool can help alfalfa farmers predict alfalfa yield and quality for optimizing marketing decisions and enhancing resource use efficiency of water resources.
