Source: AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE submitted to NRP
BREEDING ALFALFA FOR INTERCROPPING WITH INTERMEDIATE WHEATGRASS: TOWARDS PERENNIAL GRAIN-FORAGE SYSTEMS
Sponsoring Institution
Agricultural Research Service/USDA
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
USDA INHOUSE
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0441714
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2021
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2025
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
LINDEN DRIVE
MADISON,WI 53706
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
(N/A)
Animal Health Component
20%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
20%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020110101025%
2011610104025%
2021640108025%
2051699101025%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 202 - Plant Genetic Resources; 201 - Plant Genome, Genetics, and Genetic Mechanisms;

Subject Of Investigation
1699 - Pasture and forage crops, general/other; 0110 - Soil; 1640 - Alfalfa; 1610 - Pasture;

Field Of Science
1040 - Molecular biology; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism; 1080 - Genetics;
Goals / Objectives
1. Create improved alfalfa germplasm specifically designed for intercropping in a intermediate wheat grass (IWG) grown for grain. 2. Conduct a nitrogen rate study to determine optimal fertilization levels to achieve optimal alfalfa intercropped with IWG stands for IWG grain and alfalfa-IWG forage yield and quality.
Project Methods
Experimental alfalfa varieties will be created from selections made out of alfalfa intercropped with intermediate wheat grass (IWG) grown for grain from three locations (Kansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). These experimental alfalfa varieties will be evaluated in WI, NY, KS, and MN in mixture with IWG to determine their improvement and synergistic addition to intercropped-IWG in terms of adding soil fertility benefits and improved forage yield and quality to the alfalfa-IWG intercropping system while maintaining high IWG grain production. A separate experiment will be conducted to determine optimal nitrogen fertilization levels to a alfalfa-IWG intercropping system to achieve maximum IWG grain production while gaining the benefit of improved soil fertility and forage production.