Forage Program Homepage

Forage Program

The Team	Dariusz P. Malinowski - Project Leader Betty Kramp - Senior Research Associate Lawrence (Matt) Angerer - Technician I

The Goal	The long-term objective of the Forage Program is to optimize year-round forage production based on dual-purpose wheat and other small grains, cool-season perennial grasses, warm-season perennial and annual grasses, annual legumes and alfalfa in semi-arid regions of the Texas Rolling Plains. This objective is being pursued by investigating forage plant responses to defoliation stress, prolonged drought, and competition from other species. Understanding mechanisms of plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses will help select productive and persistent species and varieties, minimize costs of forage production, and maximize return to the farmers.

Current Programs	Grasses Summer-dormant cool-season perennial grasses - A new source of winter-active and persistent forages for semi-arid environments of the Southern Great Plains BARD-TIE cooperative project on mechanisms of summer dormancy in cool-season grasses Productivity and persistence of introduced wheatgrass species Copper binding activity by root exudates of grasses infected with novel Neotyphodium endophytes Legumes Annual cool-season legumes as component of pastures Forage production and persistence of alfalfa under irrigated and rainfed systems Dual-Use Wheat Physiological and morphological bases for breeding dual-purpose wheat cultivars with improved forage production Effects of environmental variables and wheat forage biochemistry on bloat incidences in grazing cattle