Effects of plant architecture and drought stress level on lucerne forage quality

Pecetti, L.; Annicchiarico, Paolo; Scotti, Carla; Paolini, M.; Nanni, Valentina; Palmonari, Alberto

doi:10.1111/gfs.12272

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The importance of protein content and the weak concentration of proteins in the stems (e.g. 12.1% vs 26.5% in leaves across harvests [11]) encourages the exploitation of these SNPs for MAS, as well as the investigation of these potential candidate genes for stem protein content variation. In addition, GWAS highlighted a genomic area on chromosome 8 that was characterized by high concentration of SNP markers linked to ADL in leaves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cultivar, maturity stage and harvest time all have an important effect on the main forage quality parameters [5–8]. Forage quality can also be affected by abiotic stresses, especially drought, through direct and indirect effects on plant morphology and physiology [9–11]. Various studies have revealed the presence of variation for forage quality traits, particularly within cultivars [12, 13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genome-Wide Association Mapping and Genomic Selection for Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Forage Quality Traits

Biazzi¹,

N.²,

Pecetti³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

123

114

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Genetic progress for forage quality has been poor in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the most-grown forage legume worldwide. This study aimed at exploring opportunities for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection of forage quality traits based on breeding values of parent plants. Some 154 genotypes from a broadly-based reference population were genotyped by genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), and phenotyped for leaf-to-stem ratio, leaf and stem contents of protein, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL), and leaf and stem NDF digestibility after 24 hours (NDFD), of their dense-planted half-sib progenies in three growing conditions (summer harvest, full irrigation; summer harvest, suspended irrigation; autumn harvest). Trait-marker analyses were performed on progeny values averaged over conditions, owing to modest germplasm × condition interaction. Genomic selection exploited 11,450 polymorphic SNP markers, whereas a subset of 8,494 M. truncatula-aligned markers were used for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). GWAS confirmed the polygenic control of quality traits and, in agreement with phenotypic correlations, indicated substantially different genetic control of a given trait in stems and leaves. It detected several SNPs in different annotated genes that were highly linked to stem protein content. Also, it identified a small genomic region on chromosome 8 with high concentration of annotated genes associated with leaf ADL, including one gene probably involved in the lignin pathway. Three genomic selection models, i.e., Ridge-regression BLUP, Bayes B and Bayesian Lasso, displayed similar prediction accuracy, whereas SVR-lin was less accurate. Accuracy values were moderate (0.3–0.4) for stem NDFD and leaf protein content, modest for leaf ADL and NDFD, and low to very low for the other traits. Along with previous results for the same germplasm set, this study indicates that GBS data can be exploited to improve both quality traits (by genomic selection or MAS) and forage yield.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome-Wide Association Mapping and Genomic Selection for Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Forage Quality Traits

Biazzi¹,

N.²,

Pecetti³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

123

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The first harvest (third for 2014 alfalfa) in the seeding year could have had lower crude protein since it was harvested in the summer and likely had higher stem to leaf ratio. Stems usually have much less protein than leaves [37]. This probably was the reason for the differences in crude protein concentration.…”

Section: Alfalfa Forage Nutritive Valuementioning

confidence: 99%

Intercropping Alfalfa into Silage Maize Can Be More Profitable Than Maize Silage Followed by Spring-Seeded Alfalfa

2021

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Intercropping of silage maize (Zea mays L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is not a common practice because alfalfa generally reduces maize grain and biomass yield. The objective of this research was to evaluate the productivity and profitability of silage maize–alfalfa intercropping, with a goal to establish alfalfa and increase alfalfa productivity in the first year of production. The experiment was conducted in Fargo and Prosper, ND, USA, in 2014–2017. The design was a randomized complete block with four replicates and a split-plot arrangement. The main plot had two maize row-spacing treatments (RS), 61 and 76 cm, respectively. Treatments in the subplot were: (1) maize monoculture, (2) maize intercropped with alfalfa, (3) maize intercropped with alfalfa + prohexadione-calcium (PHX), and (4) spring-seeded alfalfa in the following year (simulating a maize–spring-seeded alfalfa crop sequence). Both alfalfa and maize were seeded the same day in May of 2014 at both locations. Prohexadione-calcium, a growth regulator to reduce internode length and avoid etiolation of alfalfa seedlings, did not improve alfalfa plant survival. Averaged across locations, RS did not have an effect on silage maize yield and alfalfa forage yield. Alfalfa established in intercropping with maize had almost double the forage yield in the following year compared with spring-seeded alfalfa following a crop of silage maize. Considering a two-year system, alfalfa intercropped with maize had higher net returns than a silage-maize followed by a spring-seeded alfalfa sequence. This system has the potential to get more growers to have alfalfa in the rotation skipping the typical low forage yield of alfalfa in the establishment year.

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“…Research done in Italy concluded that alfalfa cultivars with the multifoliolate trait showed low expression of the trait under stress, reducing NDFD and crude protein. Alfalfa in drought stress environments had 12.3% lower plant NDF and 9.7% lower leaf protein [46]. Additionally, drought stress can have a direct negative effect on symbiotic N 2 fixation, which can reduce crude protein in alfalfa stems [47].…”

Section: Alfalfa Forage Nutritive Valuementioning

confidence: 99%

Alfalfa Established Successfully in Intercropping with Corn in the Midwest US

et al. 2021

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Integrating alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) with corn (Zea mays L.) for grain will increase biodiversity, reduce the negative environmental impact of corn monoculture and increase farm profitability. The objectives of this research were to evaluate forage productivity and nutritive value, along with stand establishment of alfalfa in a corn grain system in Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates at each site. Treatments included were: sole corn (i.e., check; T1), sole alfalfa (T2), alfalfa intercropped into corn (T3), a prohexadione-treated alfalfa intercropped with corn (T4), and a spring-seeded alfalfa in the year after intercropping (T5), which was planted in plots with T1 the previous year. All sites had below normal rainfall in 2016 and 2017. Corn grain yield was significantly lower when intercropped with alfalfa (T3 and T4) compared with the check corn crop (no alfalfa, T1). Corn grain yield reduction ranged from 14.0% to 18.8% compared with the check (T1). Corn biomass yield was reduced by intercropped alfalfa (T3 and T4) by 15.9% to 25.8%. In the seeding year, alfalfa seasonal forage yield was significantly greater when corn competition was absent in all environments. The intercropped alfalfa from the previous season (T3 and T4) had almost double the forage yield than the alfalfa in the seeding year (spring-seeded alfalfa; T5). In the second production year, there were no meaningful forage yield differences (p > 0.05) across all treatments, indicating alfalfa in intercropping systems does not affect forage yield past the first production year. Prohexadione-calcium, a growth regulator, did not affect alfalfa stand density, forage yield and nutritive value. The forage nutritive value was dependent on harvest date not the alfalfa intercropping treatments. Results of our study suggest that establishing alfalfa with corn is feasible and can be a potential alternative for the upper Midwest region. However, when under drought conditions, this system might be less resilient since competition between alfalfa and corn for soil moisture will be intensified under drought or moisture-limited conditions, and this will likely depress corn grain yield. Research targeted to reintroduce perennial crops into the current dominant corn–soybean systems in the US Corn Belt is urgently needed to improve stability and resiliency of production systems.

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Effects of plant architecture and drought stress level on lucerne forage quality

Cited by 12 publications

References 46 publications

Genome-Wide Association Mapping and Genomic Selection for Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Forage Quality Traits

Genome-Wide Association Mapping and Genomic Selection for Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Forage Quality Traits

Intercropping Alfalfa into Silage Maize Can Be More Profitable Than Maize Silage Followed by Spring-Seeded Alfalfa

Alfalfa Established Successfully in Intercropping with Corn in the Midwest US

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