Offered Papers Theme A: Efficient Production from Grassland
Description
Most forage crops have not experienced yield gains as impressive as those observed in annual grains crops such as maize (Zea mays L); in fact, yield improvement in lucerne appears to have stopped in the Midwestern USA (Riday and Brummer, 2002). I contend that much of this disparity can be explained by a failure of breeders to pursue long term recurrent selection programs within populations to capitalize on small, incremental improvements in yield over time. Many selection programs last only two or three cycles, resulting in a germplasm or cultivar release. Either no further selection is attempted or the new population is mixed with a larger germplasm pool in the belief that genetic variation is running low, a belief with little empirical support.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Thoughts on Breeding for Increased Forage Yield
Most forage crops have not experienced yield gains as impressive as those observed in annual grains crops such as maize (Zea mays L); in fact, yield improvement in lucerne appears to have stopped in the Midwestern USA (Riday and Brummer, 2002). I contend that much of this disparity can be explained by a failure of breeders to pursue long term recurrent selection programs within populations to capitalize on small, incremental improvements in yield over time. Many selection programs last only two or three cycles, resulting in a germplasm or cultivar release. Either no further selection is attempted or the new population is mixed with a larger germplasm pool in the belief that genetic variation is running low, a belief with little empirical support.
