Development of hybrid bromegrass cultivars with enhanced NDF digestibility

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Beef cattle production, regardless of season, relies on the availability of forage. Sustainable and consistent production of high-quality forage may provide an opportunity to improve performance of beef cattle (i.e. growth or reproductive efficiency) thereby improving feed conversion and reducing feed cost. This project describes the necessary work for the first selection cycle to develop a novel hybrid bromegrass cultivar selected for increased neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility. Specifically, the objective of this project is to screen existing cultivars and new breeding lines of hybrid bromegrass at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre (Saskatoon, SK). The individual plants with an inherently high NDF digestibility can be selected without compromising agronomic characteristics (yield, vigour, and regrowth). This project includes breeding nursery establishment, initial selection, development of lines with high NDF digestibility, establishment of progeny plants in a field nursery and the evaluation of the progeny. It is anticipated that 3 to 4 selection cycles will be needed to establish a new cultivar with improved NDF digestibility. In this program, we will focus on improved NDF digestibility as the nutritive value, and will assess forage yield, vigour, and regrowth characteristics to ensure that our selection does not negatively affect agronomic characteristics. It is important to note that this project also represents a cross-disciplinary collaboration between a plant breeder and animal scientists.