Publication Date
1993
Description
Registration and evaluation systems throughout the world range from voluntary registration to compulsory schemes involving assessment of taxonomic and agronomic characteristics. Evaluation can be confined to agronomic tests simulated under grazing management or extended to feeding-value trials. Criteria include adaptation to climate and soils, persistence and seasonal growth, annual dry matter production, resistance to pests and diseases, and association with beneficial organisms. The need for stress (e.g. drought, low nutrients, acidity, salinity, heat or cold) to be given more emphasis in programmes in specific localities is suggested. In developing regions the emphasis is screening a wide range of grasses and legumes, identifying suitable rhizobia, and assessing disease resistance and seed production capacity. More emphasis should be placed on evaluation in simple mixtures and canopy architecture (to be related to intake) in current systems; data from cafeteria trials should be treated with caution. The impact of grazing animals on growth and persistence of entries and the role of nutritive value and feeding value measurements are discussed. Wherever possible, feeding value should be measured, Examples are given of agreement between lhe outcome of feeding value trials and official simulated grazing trials, although instances of inadequacies of existing systems are quoted (e.g. evaluation of cultivars containing endophyte). Special cases involving assessment of forbs and shrubs are described. Factors influencing the adoption of new cultivars are discussed. A cultivar that overcomes a perceived problem without affe'cting other aspects of the production system is likely lo be adopted (if seed is available), but seed merchants can also influence choice. To ensure that farmers have access to up-to-date information from objective assessments, cultivar evaluation by public agencies is advocated, particularly if the private sector is heavily involved in breeding.
Citation
Laidlaw, A S. and Reed, K.F M., "Plant Improvement: The Evaluation and Extension Processes" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 27.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1993/session12/27
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Plant Improvement: The Evaluation and Extension Processes
Registration and evaluation systems throughout the world range from voluntary registration to compulsory schemes involving assessment of taxonomic and agronomic characteristics. Evaluation can be confined to agronomic tests simulated under grazing management or extended to feeding-value trials. Criteria include adaptation to climate and soils, persistence and seasonal growth, annual dry matter production, resistance to pests and diseases, and association with beneficial organisms. The need for stress (e.g. drought, low nutrients, acidity, salinity, heat or cold) to be given more emphasis in programmes in specific localities is suggested. In developing regions the emphasis is screening a wide range of grasses and legumes, identifying suitable rhizobia, and assessing disease resistance and seed production capacity. More emphasis should be placed on evaluation in simple mixtures and canopy architecture (to be related to intake) in current systems; data from cafeteria trials should be treated with caution. The impact of grazing animals on growth and persistence of entries and the role of nutritive value and feeding value measurements are discussed. Wherever possible, feeding value should be measured, Examples are given of agreement between lhe outcome of feeding value trials and official simulated grazing trials, although instances of inadequacies of existing systems are quoted (e.g. evaluation of cultivars containing endophyte). Special cases involving assessment of forbs and shrubs are described. Factors influencing the adoption of new cultivars are discussed. A cultivar that overcomes a perceived problem without affe'cting other aspects of the production system is likely lo be adopted (if seed is available), but seed merchants can also influence choice. To ensure that farmers have access to up-to-date information from objective assessments, cultivar evaluation by public agencies is advocated, particularly if the private sector is heavily involved in breeding.
