A32-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, December 7, 1991 By Dr. John E. Baylor Forage Specialist (Retired) Penn State University DR. JOHN E. BAYLOR Forage Specialist (Retired) The Pa. State University Alfalfa: Breeding .for Quality- My Perspective When I've asked alfalfa growers what they expect from their alfalfa crop they generally agree on three things: high yield, high quality forage, and persistent stands. And, yes, they would like to have con sistent performance every time a new stand is established. . Until recently whenever we've talked about improved alfalfa var ieties relative to meeting the above criteria we've automatically talked about multiple pest resis tance. It was, and is, a key term. Research has proven that an alfal fa variety with moderate to high levels of multiple pest resistance for a given area is generally super- ARTHUR S. 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Today, quality itself is another factor receiving considerable attention from alfalfa breeders. And it is this approach that I would like to consider in today's column. Researchers and farmers alike agree that leaves are a key factor in alfalfa quality. And studies have shown there is a direct rela tionship between relative feed val ue (RFV), crude protein (CP), and percent leaves. The challenge to alfalfa breeders has been how to improve quality by improving the percentage of leaves. One approach by plant breeders to improve quality has been through the introduction of multi leaflet varieties. i.e.. varieties with more than the traditional three leaflets per leaf. Several multileaf varieties are currently on the market And while real progress had been made in the expression of the multileaf characteristic, it still tends to be somewhat incon sistent Furthermore, there is no clear cut evidence to show that these varieties actually contain a higher percentage of leaves, and higher crude protein levels, than trifoliate varieties. In fact there are data from several studies showing that muldleafs are not necessarily leafier, regardless of' level of trait expression. Let me emphasize that this doesn't mean we won't see more improvement in the years ahead. A second approach by plant breeders to improve quality has been through the development of trifoliate varieties with finer stems and higher ieaf-to-stem ratios. And there are data to show that real progress has been made using this approach. In fact, a number of studies from both public and pri vate evaluations indicate that one recently released trifoliate variety selected for high quality consis tently demonstrates leafiness and forage quality superior to any available multileaf type, regard less of expression level. The use of new technology, namely near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is given much of the credit for recent qual ity improvement in alfalfa through ,y fO* eg SAVE 10% On Parts when work is done in our Service Center '«« 10% on labor , Don’t wait until the busy season hits. Get your tractor ready to roll now at special Pre-Season Service Savings. Don't fMtfJM Pou§ T*hy WE SHIP UPS MESSICK FARM EQUIPMENT, INC. Farm Equipment is Our Business RHEEMS EXIT, RT. 283. ELIZABETHTOWN. PA Phcm' (717)36/ 13 19 1 886 7 OH ( AIL 1 Ol 1 I 13 Eh 1 BOOh.V 31/3 We Ship UPS plant breeding. NIRS allows for the faster selection of plants in the breeding population on the basis of crude protein, fiber qualities, stem thickness, leaf-to-stem ratio, and any other desirable character istics that might still be identified by breeders. But, while quality improvement through breeding is a breakth rough, and one that farmers can take advantage of. alfalfa growers must also recognize that manage ment still plays the most important role in alfalfa hay quality. This Better Feed Management Spurs Milk Increase ENON VALLEY (Lawrence Co.) —Better management of feed and including a supplement with the silage and hay garnered the best Guernsey breed improvement for Trotacre Farm, managed by James Trotter and sons Bob and Dave. “We just hit it lucky, I sup pose,’ ’ said Jim, who attributes the efforts of his two sons to impro ving the overall feed management, The improvements came even in an area hit severely by last sum mer’s drought Although the drought had some effect the farm includes stage of maturity at the time of harvest as well as all of the other hay and silage management practices to minimize losses. Alfalfa management, several workers say, can have a 30 to 40% effect on RFV, while germplasm can have only, a 10 to 15% effect Finally, did holiday season is just around the comer. And I take this opportunity to wish each of you a Happy Holiday Season and a most prosperous New Year. I look forward to sharing informa tion with you throughout 1992. will manage to obtain enough feed through the winter months. Jim serves as the business mana ger of the state Guernsey Assoca tion. Trotacre Farms manages 4SQ acres that produce enough feed for 40 milking cows and 40 replace ment stock. Trotacrc milks from a comfort stall to a pipeline. Herd improve ments include a milking increase of 2,693 pounds, a 114-pound total fat increase, and a protein increase of +BO, according to DHIA records. [33HI actor and equipment pe for the busy season * + ***
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