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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #73511
Title: SELECTING HIGH QUALITY FORAGE LEGUMES: IMPROVING PEST RESISTANCE AND QUALITY WHILE MAINTAINING YIELD AND PERSISTENCE

Author
item Smith, Richard

Submitted to: Proceedings of the US Dairy Forage Research Center Information Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/16/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Perennial forage legumes are subjected to numerous biotic and abiotic stresses interacting to reduce yield, quality and stand life of the forage. Selection for pest resistance and persistence has improved forage production and longevity of stands but most often at the expense of forage quality. Selection for pest resistance is most often conducted on an annual lbasis under controlled conditions. This process may lead to reduced perenniality and yield and a reduction of the genetic variability of other agronomic traits. Field testing of selected germplasm after several cycles of annual selection are recommended. This paper also discusses the use of NIRS technology to estimate cell wall pectin concentration - potentially a new forage quality parameter. Also, a previously undetected pathogen of forage legumes in the northcentral U.S., Mycoleptodiscus terrestris, has been isolated from legume germplasm grown in Wisconsin.