A corn breeder's perspective on breeding for yield and forage quality
2001
Coors, J.G. (University of Wisconsin. Department of Agronomy)
Tne corn-breeding program at the University of Wisconsin has been evaluating selection for both forage yield and quality in silage corn for the past ten years. Nutritional component used for the UW breeding program now involve four factors: 1) total amount of fiber, as measured by neutral detergent fiber (NDF); 2) extent of microbial fermentation in the rumen, as measured by in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD); 3) extent f in vitro NDF digestion (IVNDFD); and 4) protein. The amount of NDF relates to intake portential, while IVDMD and IVNDFD are related to both intake potential and total energy of the diet. The goals of the UW breeding program are to reduce NDF, increase IFDMD, IVNDFD, and protein, while simultaneously increasing whole-plant yield. This has been possible, and it appears that other agronomic characteristics such as lodging and maturity can be held within acceptable limits. There are a number of well-characterized qualitative loci influencing forage quality such as the brown midrib genes, which reduce lignin. Such genes have been used to some extent, but it appears that lignin and other quality-related characteristics can also be modified without resorting to such drastic mutations that my have undesirable agronomic consequences.
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