Publication Date
1989
Description
A major constraint to increased livestock production in subSaharan Africa is the generally low quality of the feed resources available from natural pastures and crop residues. Although forage research, mainly on other continents, has identified useful genotypes for environmental conditions ranging from temperate to tropical, these have generally not been adopted by African farmers. There is a need for research to select forages acceptable to African farmers and adapted to their diverse environments and farming systems. A diverse genepool of material is essential for the evaluation and selection necessary to identify appropriate forage germplasm which can overcome this constraint. Recognizing this need, the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) has established a genebank and has assembled a large collection of forage germplasm of grasses, legumes and browse from a broad range of environments and sources in order to carry out research and evaluation and to provide a service to national livestock research and development programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and world-wide. Feed resources with higher protein contents are required to enable ruminant livestock to digest low quality fibrous crop residues and forage from natural pastures in the dry season. Therefore the genebank has emphasised the acquisition of a broad range of leguminous germ plasm, varying in growth form from herbs to browse, because this material can be used for protein supplementation.
Citation
Hanson, J and Lazier, J R., "Forage Germplasm at the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA): An Essential Resource for Evaluation and Selection" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 40.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session3/40
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Forage Germplasm at the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA): An Essential Resource for Evaluation and Selection
A major constraint to increased livestock production in subSaharan Africa is the generally low quality of the feed resources available from natural pastures and crop residues. Although forage research, mainly on other continents, has identified useful genotypes for environmental conditions ranging from temperate to tropical, these have generally not been adopted by African farmers. There is a need for research to select forages acceptable to African farmers and adapted to their diverse environments and farming systems. A diverse genepool of material is essential for the evaluation and selection necessary to identify appropriate forage germplasm which can overcome this constraint. Recognizing this need, the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) has established a genebank and has assembled a large collection of forage germplasm of grasses, legumes and browse from a broad range of environments and sources in order to carry out research and evaluation and to provide a service to national livestock research and development programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and world-wide. Feed resources with higher protein contents are required to enable ruminant livestock to digest low quality fibrous crop residues and forage from natural pastures in the dry season. Therefore the genebank has emphasised the acquisition of a broad range of leguminous germ plasm, varying in growth form from herbs to browse, because this material can be used for protein supplementation.
