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Alfalfa genome expands breeding opportunities

Alfalfa plantMost of the genome sequencing for alfalfa is complete and researchers are using the information to work toward a higher quality and hardier forage.

Dr. Maria Monteros, a legume breeding professor at the Noble Foundation, tells Brownfield Ag News it’s helped them develop an Alfalfa Breeders Toolbox, a web-based portal to help with plant breeding decisions, “And,” she says, “Enables us to integrate basic plant biology knowledge as well as applied research to enhance the development of better cultivars that are more adapted to shifts in temperature, in growing conditions.”

Monteros says alfalfa is one of the most complex genomes to sequence. She says information gained, however, is leading to advancements in growing practices.  She says a group in Madison, Wisconsin is trying to plant alfalfa early as a companion for corn, “So that when the corn is harvested, the alfalfa crop is already established and so it can start to be productive right off the bat instead of waiting for the first year for the plant to establish.”

The Noble Foundation, based in Oklahoma, has a mission to “extend the grazing season and enable livestock producers to reduce hay consumption.”

They presented this summer along with researchers from the University of Minnesota and the National Center for Genome Resources at the North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference in Wisconsin.

 

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