Exotic alfalfa varieties that produce white, blue, cream and yellow flowers are being looked at by plant breeders to improve the crop's drought tolerance.
Tag Archives alfalfa
Research focuses on drought tolerant alfalfa
Yellow flowers could help scientists breed new varieties that cope with dry conditions
Five things to consider when selecting alfalfa varieties
Research shows penny-pinching doesn’t pay off
When shopping for the right alfalfa variety, it’s usually well worth splurging for a top yielder, retired University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and forage expert Dan Undersander says. Undersander ran 298 alfalfa yield trials between 1985 and 2016. Results clearly showed penny-pinching doesn’t pay off when it comes to choosing a variety. “Out of those 298 […] Read more
Forage research a necessity in the face of decreased acres
Drought tolerance and productivity increases are targets of research programs
Canada has seen a two million-acre decrease in forage land in the last five years. “In over a decade, we are losing about three million acres, and they’re taken over by wheat and canola. It’s a serious concern for us,” Dr. Hari Poudel, forage and breeding research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Lethbridge […] Read more
Microbes matter during pasture restoration
Glacier FarmMedia – Choosing the right alfalfa variety can make a difference, possibly a huge difference, when producers are rejuvenating a pasture. After several years, a pasture’s productivity will decline and many ranchers choose to over-seed or sod-seed alfalfa to revive the pastureland. Farmers will likely select a high-yielding alfalfa variety that is adapted to […] Read more
DLF buys Corteva’s alfalfa seed business
Business to be 'fully transitioned' after 2024 season
International forage and turf seed firm DLF is stretching its reach in the alfalfa market with a deal for Corteva Agriscience’s assets in that business. The Danish firm announced Wednesday it had acquired Corteva’s global alfalfa germplasm and breeding program for an undisclosed sum, including its current commercial alfalfa varieties and their trademarks such as […] Read more
Blister beetles in hay are a danger for livestock
Blister beetles have made their appearance in North Dakota and are feeding on alfalfa fields. “The name ‘blister beetle’ stems from a naturally occurring toxin called cantharidin produced by the beetle that causes blistering of skin when the beetle is crushed and the toxin is released,” says James Rogers, Extension forage crops production specialist at […] Read more
Improving alfalfa’s flood and drought tolerance
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
One of last year’s research columns bemoaned the fact that only four out of 119 alfalfa varieties registered in Canada between 2012 and 2022 had been developed in Canada. The rest were from China, Australia or the U.S. Since then, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved nine more varieties originating from Washington, Wisconsin, […] Read more
Saudi Arabia highly dependent on grain imports
Alfalfa more profitable for domestic growers
MarketsFarm — While Saudi Arabia is a giant among the oil-producing countries of the world, the desert kingdom does produce small amounts of grain. With a population that’s about one million less than Canada’s, Saudi Arabia is extremely dependent on importing its grain from overseas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) attaché in Riyadh explained […] Read more
Alfalfa for Canada’s climate
Nature doesn’t always provide conveniently severe winters to select for survival
Very few of the alfalfa varieties sold in Canada were developed under Canadian conditions. The CFIA registered 119 varieties in Canada between 2012 and 2022, but only four (AAC Nikon, AAC Meadowview, AAC Bridgeview and AAC Trueman) were developed in Canada. The other 115 came from breeding programs in China, Australia, California, Washington State or […] Read more
Today’s forage research provides tomorrow’s solutions
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Today’s research won’t help you weather this year’s drought, but the practical information and advice you’ll read elsewhere in the September issue of Canadian Cattlemen (and at beefresearch.ca) will. Those tips, covering everything from alternative feeds to weaning, all originate from past research done by scientists and refined by producers. But producer-funded research underway today […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
