Project Number: 3640-21410-002-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Sep 04, 2002
End Date: Sep 03, 2007

Objective:
The objectives are to: (1) identify genes and evaluate alfalfa germplasm for enhanced quality traits, including increased pectin, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility, and condensed tannin biosynthesis; (2) develop alfalfa germplasm with increased tolerance to acid soil and soil-borne pathogens; and (3) develop rapid plant quality evaluation methods, new alfalfa germplasm, and environmentally beneficial crop management strategies for alfalfa as a perennial herbaceous biofuel feedstock.

Approach:
The approaches will be multi-disciplinary: (1) genes to enhance forage quality and genes involved in disease resistance will be identified using Medicago truncatula expressed sequence tag microarrays; (2) transgenic alfalfa plants with transgenes to enhance forage quality (pectin and tannin) and environmental stress tolerance (disease resistance and acid soil tolerance) will be produced and evaluated in the laboratory and field; (3) laboratory and field screening methods will be developed to select plants with desirable agronomic traits, increased NDF digestibility, and the carbohydrate composition needed in a biofuel; and (4) computer modeling and field evaluations of nitrogen turnover will be used to determine nitrate losses and soil fertility changes when herbaceous forages are grown as biofuel feedstock.

Project Team

Samac, Deborah - Debby Jung, Hans-Joachim Russelle, Michael Lamb, Joann Gronwald, John

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003