U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Plant Science Research: St. Paul, MN
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Midwest Area St. Paul, Minnesota Plant Science Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Lamb, Joannitem
                                            Riday, Heathcliffeitem
                                            Jung, Hans Joachim
  Submitted to: North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference
                                    Publication Type: Abstract Only
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 7/27/2010
                                    Publication  Date: 7/27/2010
                                    Citation: Lamb, J.F., Riday, H., Jung, H.G. 2010. Plant density and maturity stage impacts on stem cell wall composition in high quality and non-lodging alfalfa [abstract]. 42nd North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference & 21st Trifolium Conference, July 27-30, 2010, Boise, Idaho. Available: http://www.naaic.org/Meetings/National/2010meeting/Lamb.pdf.Interpretive Summary:
                                Technical Abstract: The concentration of stem cell wall constituents in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) can affect energy availability in livestock production systems and energy conversion efficiency when alfalfa is used to produce biofuels. Knowledge of the environmental variability of cell wall concentration and composition among different germplasms would be critical in a breeding program to improve the available energy in alfalfa stems for livestock production or conversion to bioenergy. We evaluated total stem cell wall concentration (g kg-1 dry matter), Klason lignin, cellulose (glucose), hemicellulose (xylose + mannose + fucose), and pectin (uronic acids + arabinose + galactose + rhamnose) (g kg-1 cell wall) in four germplasms (two high quality and two non-lodging populations) established at two plant densities (180 and 450 plants m2) at two locations (Arlington, WI, and Becker, MN) and harvested at two maturity stages, early bud (4 cuts per season) and full flower (3 cuts per season), for 2 years. Yield weighted annual averages for all stem cell wall traits were calculated and analyzed to identify the impacts of location, year, plant density, harvest maturity, and germplasm sources on stem cell wall composition. Stem cell wall composition traits responded differently at the two locations, therefore, results are presented separately for the MN and WI locations. Plant density had no effect on stem cell wall concentration or composition at either location. Total cell wall concentration and cellulose increased while pectin and hemicellulose decreased at the later maturity stage at both locations. Cell wall compositional changes between the two maturity stages differed between MN and WI. At MN the plants gained a greater proportion of cellulose compared to Klason lignin at the later maturity stage, while the opposite was true at WI. The high quality alfalfa populations tended to have greater pectin concentrations than the non-lodging populations. All other stem cell wall traits showed inconsistent responses among the germplasms at the locations.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov