Track 4-1-2: Breeding Cultivated Forage Species for Biomass, Quality and Stress Tolerance

Description

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a valuable legume in Chile whose importance is mainly as forage for animal and seed production. Although it is considered as perennial, its production declines after the second year of established due to a complex of multiple biotic and abiotic factors (Taylor and Quesenberry, 1996, Ortega et al., 2014); in Chile this is due mainly to the infestation by the red clover root borer Hylastinus obscurus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Currently there is no an efficient control method against this insect. Therefore, breeding cultivars that are less attractive to the root borer and the understanding of the possible role of secondary metabolites as isoflavones in this response arises as a new alternative to reduce the damage caused by this curculionid. The purpose of this paper is to review the relationship between forage yield, plant populations and root damage in an experiment run for four years and to show preliminary information about isoflavone content of Chilean cultivars and experimental lines.

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Persistence of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) Is Highly Related to Plant Population: Preliminary Studies on Isoflavones that Could Act as Insect Deterrents

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a valuable legume in Chile whose importance is mainly as forage for animal and seed production. Although it is considered as perennial, its production declines after the second year of established due to a complex of multiple biotic and abiotic factors (Taylor and Quesenberry, 1996, Ortega et al., 2014); in Chile this is due mainly to the infestation by the red clover root borer Hylastinus obscurus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Currently there is no an efficient control method against this insect. Therefore, breeding cultivars that are less attractive to the root borer and the understanding of the possible role of secondary metabolites as isoflavones in this response arises as a new alternative to reduce the damage caused by this curculionid. The purpose of this paper is to review the relationship between forage yield, plant populations and root damage in an experiment run for four years and to show preliminary information about isoflavone content of Chilean cultivars and experimental lines.