Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Institution reports were presented by participants representing; Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Oregon, New Zealand, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. A special report was presented on a review of the proceedings of the 4th International Neotyphodium/Grass Symposium by representatives from the group. Discussions were held on all the reports presented at the meeting. Committees were appointed to address:(1) Standards for Terminology Used in Fescue Toxicosis and (2) Investigate Analytical Techniques for Alkaloids and Endophytes. In addition, the group plans to have a web page developed before the next meeting so information can be presented to a broader audience including stakeholders with access to the web.

The following were submitted by members of the group and are presented in alphabetical order by state rather than ranked by importance:

1. We produced novel combinations of >HiMag= tall fescue with non-toxic endophytes that do not produce fescue toxicosis in steers, but that do enhance fescue drought tolerance. This variety will provide another tool for farmers to reduce their economic losses due to fescue toxicosis while sustaining stable pastures under conditions of drought. West and Piper - Arkansas

2. Found strategy of re-infecting tall fescue cultivars with a naturally occurring, non-toxic endophyte was successful in reducing fescue toxicity symptoms in cattle and sheep, but with no loss of plant persistence and performance. Bouton - Georgia

3. The non-toxic endophyte from this study is being marketed under the name MaxQ in elite tall fescue cultivars for use by livestock producers. Bouton - Georgia

4. In response to a request by Pennington Seed Inc., three meetings were conducted for extension county agents in March 2000, to explain MaxQ technology for tall fescue. These meetings involved classroom presentations on the technology as well as field demonstrations on the grass. Field plots were hosted by Dr. Ivy at the Prairie Station and Dr. Lang, MSU Station. A third group toured a plot in Hinds County on the Ted Kendall farm. Excellent response was received from the 50 attendees, indicating they were glad to have this information before company advertisement got underway and were glad to know MSU had research underway. This fall 5-6 field plantings will be established across the state with county agents and producers to further evaluate this forage, especially if it is adapted to more southern locations. Broome - Mississippi

4. A drug (domperidone) has been developed that is effective for prevention and treatment of fescue toxicosis in pregnant mares. Cross -South Carolina

5. Stop the crisis of export of straw to Japan , Korea, and Taiwan. Manage solution to fescue toxicosis and perennial ryegrass staggers for 50,000 to of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass straw fed in the Northwest. Craig - Oregon


6. Tall fescue pastures with mixtures of Neotyphodium coenophialum infected plants (E+) and E- plants increase in E+ infestation by 14% per year when grazed at moderate to heavy pressures, becoming highly infested within 4 years. The presence of clover (25-40%) in a tall fescue pasture counteracts about half of the negative effects on animal performance caused by N. coenophialum. Fribourg and Waller - Tennessee

7. Resistance Mechanisms in Mice Divergently Selected for Fescue Toxicosis Response. Lines of laboratory mice were divergently selected for response to toxins in endophyte-infected fescue. In subsequent evaluations, Resistant line mice suffered less depression in reproduction and growth on a toxin-containing diet than did Susceptible line mice. They also were more resistant to sporidesmin, a mycotoxin that had not been fed during the selection process. Resistant mice had higher activities than Susceptible mice of two hepatic toxin-metabolizing enzymes. It may be possible to reduce the economic impact of nutritional toxicoses in ruminants by selection for enhanced resistance. Hohenboken and Blodgett -Virginia Tech

The reports published and distributed at the meeting will be presented on the home page for this group as titles with email addresses for contact person for anyone seeing more information.