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What Global and/or European Agriculture Will Need from Grasslands and Grassland Breeding over the Next 10–15 Years for a Sustainable Agriculture

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Breeding strategies for sustainable forage and turf grass improvement

Abstract

The paper analyses actual trends in (European) ruminant agriculture and grassland based production systems. Consequences of reduced and/or zero grazing for grass breeding and grassland management are discussed. The impacts on eco-efficiency, recycling of minerals and ecosystem services are highlighted as well as the role of ley-arable farming. Special emphasis is on the potential use of tall fescue as a component of mixtures or as an interspecific cross. In grazed grassland, the role of white clover, the disease resistance and the nitrogen use efficiency of the grasses and the significance of biodiversity are considered. Based on an article published by Parsons et al. (2011) some reflections on the way ahead in grass and forage breeding are presented.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Grime et al. (1988) described Lolium perenne as a CR/CSR type, while they categorized Festuca arundinacea as a CSR type (CSR: strategist, CR: ruderal competitor).

  2. 2.

    Breeding for a changing pattern of root distribution in Lolium perenne is reported by Crush et al. (2007). They reported a wide variation in genotypes for patterns of root distribution in a full-sib mapping population. They found no relationship between N-interception and patterns of distribution of DM weight of roots. Genotypes reacted on moisture stress either by increased or by inhibited root growth. Since root growth in artificial circumstances is very variable, hampering a reliable selection, they expect much of indirect marker-assisted selection of root traits in ryegrasses. This hope seems justified because of successes in rice (Steele et al. 2006) and maize (Ribaut and Ragot 2007). A high root/shoot ratio does not automatically reflect a good drought tolerance. In the experiments of Crush et al. (2005) timothy had a root/shoot ratio of 0.86 versus 0.63 for perennial ryegrass. Yet timothy is known to have a low drought tolerance.

  3. 3.

    The number of genotypes in an F2 population equals 3n with n being the number of different loci. The greater n, the smaller the probability to find the ideal genotype.

  4. 4.

    In university cities as Gent and Leuven in Belgium (and most probably in other major European cities), action groups promote one “veggie day” per week as a starter to decline meat consumption and the consumption of animal proteins. If a large part of the population goes along with this evolution a substantial decrease in the demand of animal products is expected, with inevitable consequences for animal production systems and their orientation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, University of Gent, Gent, Belgium

    D. Reheul, B. de Cauwer, M. Cougnon & J. Aper

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  1. D. Reheul
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  2. B. de Cauwer
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  3. M. Cougnon
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  4. J. Aper
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Correspondence to D. Reheul .

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  1. , Crops Environment and Land Use Programme, Teagasc, Carlow, Carlow, Ireland

    Susanne Barth

  2. , Crops Environment and Land Use Programme, Teagasc, Carlow, Carlow, Ireland

    Dan Milbourne

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Reheul, D., de Cauwer, B., Cougnon, M., Aper, J. (2013). What Global and/or European Agriculture Will Need from Grasslands and Grassland Breeding over the Next 10–15 Years for a Sustainable Agriculture. In: Barth, S., Milbourne, D. (eds) Breeding strategies for sustainable forage and turf grass improvement. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4555-1_1

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