Persistence of morphologically diverse lucerne under continuous stocking and intensive grazing
L. Pecetti A B , M. Romani A and E. Piano AA CRA-Istituto Sperimentale per le Colture Foraggere, viale Piacenza 29, 26900 Lodi, Italy.
B Corresponding author. Email: bred@iscf.it
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57(9) 999-1007 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR05422
Submitted: 1 December 2005 Accepted: 15 May 2006 Published: 30 August 2006
Abstract
Grazing tolerance of lucerne is an attribute of growing interest worldwide. A breeding method relying on direct selection for persistence under continuous stocking and intensive grazing was here applied to germplasm first selected for the presence of positive traits, hoping to combine an effective selection procedure with the advantages of a favourable morphology. Progenies belonging to diversified plant ‘models’, previously synthesised, were evaluated under sheep grazing in 2 trials in northern Italy with reference to a tolerant and an intolerant check variety. The reliability of the assessment according to recommended standard procedures was ensured by the recorded difference in persistence of the 2 checks. Two semi-prostrate models proved very tolerant to grazing, and another, semi-erect model proved partly tolerant. When the spring biomass was measured before grazing imposition, the grazing-tolerant models showed lower values than the other models and the checks, but they featured the highest biomass after the grazing seasons in both trials, owing to their outstanding tolerance. The best germplasm will be used to develop grazing-tolerant varieties. The most tolerant models displayed a long cold-season rest. Nonetheless, they could also be of interest in areas with relatively mild winters, for instance in mixtures with winter-active annual species, or in intercropping situations. Based on reported evidence, germplasm selected under intensive grazing and continuous stocking is expected to retain its tolerance under more rational management systems.
Additional keywords: plant morphology, rhizomatous habit, selection methods, cold-season dormancy, Medicago sativa L.
Acknowledgment
We thank Sandro Proietti for the outstanding technical assistance provided throughout this investigation.
Berdhal JD,
Wilton AC, Frank AB
(1989) Survival and agronomic performance of 25 alfalfa cultivars and strains interseeded into rangeland. Journal of Range Management 42, 312–316.
, Verified 13 May 2006)
Katepa-Mupondwa F,
Singh A,
Smith SR, McCaughey WP
(2002) Grazing tolerance of alfalfa (Medicago spp.) under continuous and rotational stocking systems in pure stands and in mixture with meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rehm. syn. B. biebersteinii Roem & Schult). Canadian Journal of Plant Science 82, 337–347.
Leach GJ
(1979) Regrowth characteristics of lucerne under different systems of grazing management. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 30, 445–465.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lodge GM
(1991) Management practices and other factors contributing to the decline in persistence of grazed lucerne in temperate Australia: a review. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 31, 713–724.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pecetti L,
Berardo N,
Odoardi M, Piano E
(2001a) Forage quality components in grazing-type lucerne (Medicago sativa L. complex). Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 187, 145–152.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pecetti L, Piano E
(2002) Penetrance of creeping-rootedness in clonal progenies of lucerne and observations on underground morphology of plants differing for this character. Euphytica 128, 35–45.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pecetti L, Piano E
(2005) Heritability of morphophysiological traits and inbreeding effects in grazing-type lucerne. Plant Breeding 124, 176–179.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pecetti L,
Romani M,
Piano E, Zampieri A
(2005) Erba medica, le varietà da pascolo. Informatore Zootecnico [Lucerne varieties for grazing.] 52, 38–45.
Piano E,
Pecetti L,
Romani M, Valentini P
(1997) Selezione di tipi da pascolo in erba medica (Medicago sativa L.). II. Valutazione di genotipi selezionati nell’ambito di diversi modelli morfologici. Rivista di Agronomia [Selection of grazing types in lucerne ( L.). II. Evaluation of genotypes selected within diverse morphological models] 31, 174–177.
Piano E,
Valentini P,
Pecetti L, Romani M
(1996) Evaluation of a lucerne germplasm collection in relation to traits conferring grazing tolerance. Euphytica 89, 279–288.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rumbaugh MD, Pedersen MW
(1979) Survival of alfalfa in five semiarid range seedings. Journal of Range Management 32, 48–51.
Sledge MK,
Bouton JH, Kochert G
(2003) Shifts in pest resistance, fall dormancy, and yield in 12-, 24-, and 120-parent grazing tolerant synthetics derived from CUF 101 alfalfa. Crop Science 43, 1736–1740.
Small E
(1996) Adaptations to herbivory in alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Canadian Journal of Botany 74, 807–822.
Smith SR, Bouton JH
(1989) Seed yield of grazing-tolerant alfalfa germplasm. Crop Science 29, 1195–1199.
Smith SR, Bouton JH
(1993) Selection within alfalfa cultivars for persistence under continuous stocking. Crop Science 33, 1321–1328.
Smith SR,
Bouton JH, Hoveland CS
(1989) Alfalfa persistence and regrowth potential under continuous grazing. Agronomy Journal 81, 960–965.
Smith SR,
Bouton JH, Hoveland CS
(1992) Persistence of alfalfa under continuous grazing in pure stands and in mixtures with tall fescue. Crop Science 32, 1259–1264.
Smith SR,
Bouton JH,
Singh A, McCaughey WP
(2000) Development and evaluation of grazing-tolerant alfalfa cultivars: a review. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 80, 503–512.
Tomasoni C,
Onofrii M,
Borrelli L,
Pecetti L, Odoardi M
(1997) L’erba medica in Italia: situazione e prospettive. L’Informatore Agrario [Lucerne in Italy: situation and perspectives.] 53, 37–54.
