Forage Plants: Forage Legumes and Forage Grasses

Forage legumes - Leguminosae

(pea, field bean, lupin, alfalfa, clover....)

Legumes (a family of plants that house their seeds in double seamed pods) counts among the plant families comprising the greatest number of species, including pea, field bean, alfalfa, lentil, chickpea, clover, lupin, vetch and soybean. With cultivation on approximately 50,000 hectares in 2008, field pea is the most important grain legume in Germany, followed by lupin (approximately 20,000 hectares) and field bean (11,000 hectares).

Domestic Protein Supplier

Legumes are peculiar in that they are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen - which most other plants cannot - and transform it into organic compounds (essential amino acids). For this purpose, they enter into a symbiosis with the soil bacteria rhizobia. Nitrogen fixation and nitrogen transformation makes them particularly rich in proteins and thereby valuable fodder plants. But grain legumes also have important advantages in crop succession. They maintain soil fertility, reduce the need for mineral nitrogen fertilizers and enhance the quality of the subsequent crop.

Quality and Resistance to Lodging

Lupins formerly could not be used as animal feed, owing to their high content in bitter substances. Breeding efforts had led up to a first lupin variety with low content of bitter substances, the first being registered for cultivation in 1934. Further breeding progress included a tolerance against seed-borne wilt disease in blue lupin and against asochyta blight, fusarium and rust diseases in peas and field beans. Improved resistance against lodging also reduced the plants susceptibility to diseases.

Soil Protection In Extreme Weather Situations

Leguminoses have enormous environmental advantages, especially in times of climate change.  Forage legumes protect the soils even in the extreme weather situations expected to become more frequent. They also help to ensure that domestic production meets the demand in protein-rich fodder plants. Plant breeders are more and more wagering on these advantages and will continue to develop varieties with better resistance and stress tolerance.

Forage Grasses - Gramineae

(ryegrass, fescue, timothy, golden oat, ...)

Apart from domestic cereals and legumes, grasses are used as animal feed. Forage grasses are used in the form of grass silage or hay. They are an important resource and have been subject to continuous selection and breeding efforts. There are variety mixtures adapted to nearly any local peculiarity. Pastures make up for nearly 30 per cent of the agricultural area.

Successes in Forage Grass Breeding

The breeding of forage grasses is particularly difficult. Cultivation of grasses for seed production is technically very demanding and the evaluation of the relevant quality criteria in the different growth stages of grass is a particularly complex task. One of the criteria determining forage grass quality is the dry matter yield. When compared to the varieties of 40 years ago, the progress achieved by plant breeding becomes very obvious: For instance, the dry matter yield of perennial ryegrass could be raised from 85 dt/ha in 1965 to 115 dt/ha, a 35 percent increase within 40 years. The same applies to Italian ryegrass, the dry matter yield of which increased from 140 dt/ha to 185 dt/ha in the same time.

Forage Grass Breeding Perspectives

Plant breeding efforts will continue to be directed at increasing dry matter yield, improving the nutritional composition and optimising the performance of individual grass varieties within the seed mixtures.