As a public forage breeder, my aim is to evaluate and enhance germplasm that may not be immediately commercially viable, but that will hopefully contribute to the germplasm base of future cultivars. As a sideline, I work on developing cultivars for niches too small to be of interest to commercial breeding programs but of use by livestock producers. Medicago sativa subsp. Falcata tends to be low yielding, have slow spring recovery, and little winter growth, traits that often limit its usefulness. At each location, we are evaluating 94 falcata accessions and 6 cultivars or improved germplasms for agronomic potential.
Most accessions are tetraploids.
From this study, we will be able to select plants for improved populations of falcata as well as identify superior accessions for further analysis and breeding. Another option would be to introgress desirable yield genes into commercial germplasm, possibly using marker-assisted selection, but I am urging caution with this approach, which might destroy desirable heterotic groups. In Iowa, we have completed evaluation of this nursery and have selected plants for high yield, recovery after cutting, fall growth, and resistance to potato leafhopper. After intercrossing, the populations were random mated in the greenhouse for one generation. This syn2 generation has been transplanted to the field in August 2000 for a multi-year evaluation prior to selection of parents for cycle 1.