Author
 |
Lamb, Joann |
|
Jung, Hans Joachim |
|
Submitted to: Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 5/18/2003 Publication Date: 5/18/2003 Citation: Lamb, J.F., Jung, H.G. 2003. Repeatability of stem fiber quality traits in alfalfa [abstract]. Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf 3rd International Symposium. p. 170. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The concentration and low digestibility of cell wall constituents (as measured by neutral detergent fiber, NDF) in alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., herbage can limit dry matter intake and energy availability in dairy and beef production systems. No information is currently available on the environmental variability of stem NDF content or fiber digestibility in alfalfa. Knowledge of the environmental influence and variability of stem NDF quality traits will be essential in a plant breeding program to improve these traits. We initiated a study using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrated by wet chemistry to identify individual alfalfa plants that differed in stem NDF content and stem NDF dry matter disappearance after 16 and 96 hours of digestion. Individual plants that were either high or low in these stem fiber quality traits were vegetatively propagated and clones of each selected plant were transplanted into replicated experiments at two field locations. All clonal entries will be sampled at the early flower maturity stage for spring, early, and late summer harvests for 2 years and evaluated for stem fiber quality traits. Preliminary results suggest that alfalfa stem NDF fiber quality traits differed in each environment tested. However, no shifting in rank among the clonal entries within each environment demonstrated potential for improvement of these stem fiber quality traits. |
