SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report

Sections

Basic Information
Additional Info

Status: Approved

Basic Information

Project No. and Title: NE1010 : Breeding and Genetics of Forage Crops to Improve Productivity, Quality, and Industrial Uses
Period Covered: 10/01/2015 to 09/30/2016
Date of Report: 09/09/2016
Annual Meeting Dates: 07/12/2016 to 07/12/2016

Bill Biligetu (Bill.Biligetu@usask.ca) - Univ. of Saskatchewan, Canada; Boe, Arvid (arvid.boe@sdstate.edu) - South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD; Brummer, Charles (ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu) – University of California, Davis, CA; Casler, Mike (mdcasler@wisc.edu) – University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Claessens, Annie (annie.claessens@agr.gc.ca) - AAFC, Quebec, QC; Ehlke, Nancy (nancy@umn.edu) - University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN; Kenaley, Shawn (sck26@cornell.edu) - Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Monteros, Maria (mjmonteros@noble.org), Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK; Papadopoulos, Yousef (yousef.papadopoulos@agr.gc.ca) - AAFC, Truro, NS; Peel, Michael (mike.peel@ars.usda.gov), - ARS, Logan, UT; Riday, Heathcliffe (heathcliffe.riday@ars.usda.gov) - ARS, Madison, WI; Robins, Joe (joseph.robins@ars.usda.gov) – ARS, Idaho; Viands, Don (drv3@cornell.edu) - Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; (Administrative Advisor);

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Attached file:

NE1010-Multistate-Project-Report-2016.docx

Accomplishments

Objective 1:

A new genotyping system is being developed for red clover and alfalfa.

Populations tolerant to Al based on field evaluations have been developed and continue to be evaluated.

The new alfalfa snout beetle cultivar, Seedway 9558 SBR, is being used in northern NY. Field experiments are indicating that this cultivar has less root damage and higher forage yield than susceptible cultivars.

New birdsfoot trefoil germplasm is being evaluated for potential release.
Research on paternity testing in kura clover has progressed to a publication.

Objective 2:

Comparison of selection methods for biomass yield is continuing at multiple location trials. Data so far indicate that progress from replicated clonal selection for higher yield has resulted in some progress in yield, but only at the location where selection was conducted.
A non-heading orchardgrass population is close to release as a potential cultivar.
Selection in red clover for improved persistence and general adaptation has resulted in plant populations with better adaptation.

Mixture trials documented the value of including legumes with grasses. All grass-legume mixtures were equal or higher in forage yield than their respective grass monocultures that were fertilized.

Objective 3:

(1) Evaluations of multiple species of cool and warm season perennial forages continue to be evaluated for forage yield, persistence, and other agronomic traits at multiple locations in North America.

Impacts

1. The development of new grass and legume cultivars will provide a more reliable source of economical feed for dairy and other livestock industries. For example, alfalfa cultivars with resistance to alfalfa snout beetle and potato leafhopper provide protection of the crop to realize maximum forage yield and quality. A new orchardgrass cultivar that does not produce seed heads in the areas of forage production would provide higher quality grass. Foundation seed of a kura clover cultivar is available for acquisition by the seed industry for marketing this new cultivar.
2. This project improves environmental quality through the development of new cultivars of grasses and legumes with improved persistence, increased resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and enhanced soil-binding improvement capabilities (e.g., reduced soil erosion; improved nutrient cycling; less soil surface runoff; increased soil carbon sequestration; reduced atmospheric CO2; reduced use of agricultural chemicals/fertilizers; reduced pollution/contamination of surface and ground waters).
3. Acid soils are very extensive in North America and worldwide. Alfalfa cultivars with tolerance to these soils will provide more economical forage by eliminating or reducing the need for lime applications. New cultivars will convert such problem soils, previously unsuitable for agriculture, into areas of stable high quality forage production. Development of salt-tolerant forage species, such as ‘Bridgeview’ alfalfa, should expand the use of crops for forage production.
4. With improved forages and biomass crops, increased diversification and sustainability in agricultural ecosystems can be achieved. Identification of breeding methods that will improve forage and biomass yield and quality is essential for improving the economics of these crops in production agriculture and in conservation and wildlife habitat systems.
5. The evaluation of experimental populations is essential to ensure that all stakeholders have the agronomic information to make decisions on use of forage species and cultivars within species.
6. Development of warm season grasses for biofuel use will contribute toward sustainability of energy production. Protecting switchgrass from diseases and insects will help to provide biomass more economically.

Publications

Relevant Publications:

(2015 publications were in print after the 2015 NE1010 annual report)

Anower, M.R., A. Boe, D. Auger, I. W. Mott, M. D. Peel, L. Xu, P. Kanchupati, and Y. Wu. 2016. Comparative Drought Response in Eleven Diverse Alfalfa Accessions. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. DOI: 10.1111/jac.12156.

Cox, S., M.D. Peel, J.E. Creech, B.L. Waldron, J-S. Eun, D.R. Zobell, R.L. Miller, and D.L. Snyder. Forage production of grass-legume binary mixtures on Intermountain Western USA irrigated pastures. Crop Sci. Tentatively accepted.

Crawford, R., P. Salon, J. Crawford, J. Hansen, S. Bonos, M. Hall, and D. Viands. Fall 2014 height, vigor, quality and yield data from Cornell University NEWBio Switchgrass Nurseries. Poster presented at Northeast Wood/Warm Season Biomass Consortium 2015 Annual Meeting, NEWBio CAP Project, Morgantown, WV. 3-5 August 2015.

Crawford, R., J. Crawford, J. Hansen, and D. Viands. Development of gall midge susceptible and resistant Cave-in-Rock switchgrass populations. Poster presented at: Switchgrass III Prairie & Native Grass International Conference. Knoxville, TN 30 September – 2 October 2015.

Hansen, J., J. Crawford, C. Brummer, R. Michaud, A. Claessens, S. Acharya, Y. Papadopoulos, J. Lamb, C. Sheaffer, and D. Viands. 2016. Replicated clonal selection for improving forage yield of alfalfa – Preliminary Report. North Amer. Alfalfa Improv. Conf. 12-14 July 2016. Madison, WI. https://www.naaic.org/

Hansen, J.L, D.R. Viands, R. Deubler, J. Crawford, J. Schiller, and R. Crawford. 2016. New York forage legume and grass variety yield trials summary for 2016 - season totals

http://plbrgen.cals.cornell.edu/research-extension/forage-project/ny-forage-yield-results

Hoffman, L., E. N. Weibel, J. L. Crawford, R.V. Crawford, J. L. Hansen, M. H. Hall, D. R. Viands, and S.A. Bonos. 2015. Selection of switchgrass for reclaimed mineland. ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Ann. Meeting, 16 November 2015. Minneapolis, MN.

Kenaley, S.C., J.A. Cummings, C.N. Layton, G.C. Bergstrom. In prep. Multi-year field evaluation of bioenergy switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) susceptibility to the smut fungus Tilletia maclaganii. Bioenergy Research (expected submission, September 2016).

Kenaley, S.C. and G.C. Bergstrom. 2015. Poster: Switchgrass leaf rust in U.S. caused by two genetically and morphologically distinct, yet, closely-related fungi. Switchgrass III: Prairie and Native Grass International Conference. Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Knoxville, TN.

Kenaley, S.C., G.W. Hudler, G.C. Bergstrom. 2016. Detection and phylogenetic relationships of Puccinia emaculata and Uromyces graminicola (Pucciniales) on switchgrass in New York State using rDNA sequence information. Fungal Biology 120: 791-806.

Li, X., Y. Wei, A. Acharya, J.L. Hansen, J. L. Crawford, D. R. Viands, R. Michaud, A. Claessens, and E. C. Brummer. 2015. Genomic prediction of biomass in two selection cycles of a tetraploid alfalfa breeding populations. The Plant Genome. July Vol. 8 No. 2.

Richards, B. K., C. R. Stoof, C. Mason, R. Crawford, H. S. Mayton, S. Das, J. Hansen, J. Crawford, T. S. Steenhuis, M. T. Walter, and D. R. Viands. 2015. Sustainable Perennial Grass Bioenergy Production on Marginal Lands of the Northeast: Five Years and Counting. Invited presentation, USDA Sustainable Bioenergy Program Project Director Meeting, November 4, 2015. Denver, Colorado. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2223.0486

Richards, B. K., C. R. Stoof, C. Mason, R. Crawford, H. S. Mayton, S. Das, J. Hansen, J. Crawford, T. S. Steenhuis, M. T. Walter, and D. R. Viands. 2015. Research Poster: Carbon sequestration and gaseous emissions in perennial grass bioenergy cropping systems in the Northeastern US. USDA Sustainable Bioenergy Program Project Director Meeting, November 3, 2015. Denver, CO. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3795.9121

Richards, B. K., C. R. Stoof, C. Mason, R. Crawford, H. S. Mayton, S. Das, J. Hansen, J. Crawford, T. S. Steenhuis, M. T. Walter, and D. R. Viands. 2015. Research Poster: Carbon sequestration and gaseous emissions in perennial grass bioenergy cropping systems in the Northeastern US. NEWBio Bioenergy Consortium Annual Meeting Poster Session, Tuesday August 4, 2015. West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.4799.4725

Riday, H., M.A. Smith, M.D. Peel. 2015. A simple model for pollen-parent fecundity distribution in bee-pollinated forage legume polycrosses. J. of T.A.G. 128:1865-1879.

Songsomboon K., J. Crawford, J. Cummings, G. Bergstrom, and D. Viands. Heritability and genetic gain of resistances to diseases caused by Bipolaris oryzae in switchgrass. Poster session presented at: 5th International Conference on Quantitative Genetics. 13 – 17 June 2016; Madison, WI.

Songsomboon K., J. Crawford, J. Cummings, G. Bergstrom, and D. Viands. Heritability and genetic gain from selection for resistance to Bipolaris leaf spot in switchgrass. Poster session presented at: Switchgrass III: Prairie & Native Grass International Conference. 30 September– 2 Oct 2015; Knoxville, TN.

Songsomboon K., J. Crawford, J. Cummings, G. Bergstrom, and D. Viands. Techniques for screening switchgrass for resistance to diseases caused byBipolaris oryzae. Poster session presented at: 2015 Northeast Woody/Warm-season Biomass Consortium Annual Meeting. 3-5 August 2015; Morgantown, WV.

Stoof, C. R., B. K. Richards, P. B. Woodbury, E. S. Fabio, A. Brumbach, J. H. Cherney, S. Das, L. D. Geohring, J. L. Hansen, J. Hornesky, H. S. Mayton, C. Mason, G. Ruestow, L. Smart, T. A. Volk, T. S. Steenhuis. 2015. Untapped potential: Opportunities and challenges for sustainable bioenergy production from marginal lands in the Northeast USA. BioEnergy Research 8:482-501.

Viands, D.R., J. Hansen, J. Crawford, E.J. Shields, and A. Testa. 2015. Breeding alfalfa cultivars with resistance to alfalfa snout beetle. Northern NY Agric. Devel. Program Report. http://www.nnyagdev.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/NNYADP15ViandsASBReportWeb.pdf

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