Biotechnological Approaches for Forage Crops Improvement: Prospects, Achievements and Road Map

Transcription

1 Biotechnological Approaches for Forage Crops Improvement: Prospects, Achievements and Road Map Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Insititute Jhansi

2 Printed : November 2008 Citation : Kaushal et al (Eds). Biotechnological approaches for forage crops Improvement: Prospests, achievements and road map. IGFRI, Jhansi (India) Editors Cover design Production Published by : P Kaushal D R Malaviya A K Roy : K P Rao P Kaushal : Ashok Shastri Sr. Technical Officer, DIPA, ICAR : Director Indian Grasslands and Fodder Research Institute Jhansi (India) Phone : Fax : Web : igfri@igfri.ernet.in Cover page : Various techniques utilised in biotechnological approaches for fodder crops Improvement. Embryo rescue, micropropagation, transformation and molecular marker. Lasertypeset by M/s Xpedite Computer Systems, D-20, Ranjit Nagar Commercial Complex, New Delhi and printed at M/s Royal Offset Printers, A-89/1, Phase I, Naraina Industrial Area, New Delhi

3 Foreword Global trend in animal production indicates a rapid and massive increase in the consumption of livestock products. It is predicted that meat and milk consumption will grow at 2.8 and 3.3 per cent per annum respectively in developing countries like India. At present, the country faces a net deficit of 61.1% green fodder, 21.9% in dry crop residues and 64% in feeds. To achieve the current level of livestock production and its annual increment, the deficit in all component of fodder, dry crop residues and feed has to be met from either increasing productivity, utilizing untapped feed resources and/or increasing land area. Sizeable amount of fodder demand is fulfilled through vast grasslands and rangelands. Any positive or negative change in its position has impact on several environmental issues. Similarly, the increase in livestock population will also affect the availability of organic waste which in turn can boost the agricultural production. Hence, eco-friendly fodder production system is of prime importance. Opportunities exist through strengthening research and development activities in grassland/grazing land/rangelands, developing dual type food crop varieties, stay green QPM maize varieties, application of biotechnology to evolve genetically engineered improved varieties against abiotic and biotic stress and enhancing forage productivity in Berseem, Lucerne, oat, forage sorghum, range species and fodder trees through conventional/biotechnological tools. Many of the forage species suffer from narrow genetic base and improvement programmes utilizing convention breeding techniques have reached to a plateau. However, tremendous technological development in last two decades has equipped the plant scientists with enormous options to tailor the plants according to need. Accordingly the working group of IInd World Crop Science Congress stressed on genome mapping and marker assisted selection in plant breeding recognizing the importance of synteny. At IGFRI, efforts in this direction started in late eighties and since then IGFRI is engaged in addressing issues like wide hybridization, understanding apomixis, biodiversity analysis, development of linkage maps and identification of markers for traits of economic importance. The crop constraints, initiatives, achievements and prospects of biotechnological approach with regard to some of the forage species has been compiled in this bulletin. The good efforts made by the scientists/authors to bring out this bulletin is highly appreciated. :: iii :: (K A Singh) Director

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5 Preface The increasing demand for fodder and limited area under cultivated fodder have drawn the attention of scientists to develop the high yielding varieties of forages with high quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, improvement of these tropical forage crops/grasses has always been a difficult task because of narrow genetic base and complex breeding system. Because of this, there could not be substantial gain in developing crop varieties through conventional breeding methods in last two decades. But, the tremendous technological development in recent past has equipped the plant scientists with enormous options to tailor the plants according to need. The potential of genome mapping, marker assisted selection in plant breeding recognizing the importance of synteny, development of wide crosses through embryo rescue are well established. The information obtained on genome maps of different crops could be widely shared among all bonafide users. As regards improvement of forage crops through non-conventional breeding methods or biotechnological approach at IGFRI India, efforts in this direction started in late eighties but biotechnological approach for forage crop improvement worldwide has made remarkable headway. IGFRI is also engaged in addressing many such problems of great importance which otherwise were coming as bottlenecks in improvement programme. Broadly the biotechnological approach for forage crop improvement, presently under progress, can be grouped as follows 1. Interspecific hybridization through embryo rescue. 2. Biodiversity analysis in forage crops utilizing molecular techniques. 3. Identification of molecular markers for biotic and abiotic stresses in forage crops. 4. Identification of molecular markers for root rot and stem rot resistance in Berseem. 5. Understanding the apomixis phenomenon through conventional and molecular techniques. The present bulletin is a compilation of crop constraints, initiatives, achievements and prospects of biotechnological approach with regard to some of the forages species. We feel that this will enable other forage scientists also to start work in biotechnological approach towards forage crop improvement. Editors :: v ::

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7 Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Berseem 7 3. Lucerne Stylosanthes Oats Pearl millet Sorghum Cenchrus Dichanthium Apomixis in Guinea grass 44 :: vii ::

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