Testing And Release Of Forage Sorghum Cultivars Adapted To Upper Midwest States
The Iowa State University (ISU) sorghum breeding program is the northernmost public program in the U.S. dedicated to the development of parental lines
for the production of forage hybrids with adaptation to shorter growing seasons. The goal of the proposed project is to test and release new ISU sorghum cultivars adapted to northern latitudes to provide high-yielding high-nutritive value forage to beef and dairy cattle operations in the Upper Midwest U.S. Advanced experimental hybrids for alternative systems (hay, green chopping, grazing, and silage) will be evaluated in regional trials comprising eight locations in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
The following specific objectives will be accomplished:
(1) Identify high-yielding sorghum parental lines and hybrid combinations adapted to Upper Midwest U.S.
(2) Determine best performing hybrids based on biomass composition.
(3) Evaluate experimental hybrids using alternative management systems for specific regions to improve farmer’s profitability and environmental sustainability.
(4) Release superior parental lines.
The proposed research could have a significant impact because:
(a) Beef and dairy cattle operations are a critical component of the economy of our target states.
(b) Forage sorghum nutritive value can be improved through breeding to make it comparable with corn for silage.
(c) The sorghum seed market is moderately concentrated with several mid-size or small companies testing germplasm in a limited region and/or with no proprietary genetics.
(d) Sorghum breeding programs (public and private) generally prioritize the development of germplasm adapted to the Southern Great Plains but not the Upper Midwest U.S.
PI: Salas-Fernandez, M.G.
Co-PIs: Marisol Berti (North Dakota State University), Christopher Graham (South Dakota State University), Sara Bauder (South Dakota State University), Matthew Akins (USDA-ARS-Wisconsin).
Funding: USDA AFRI Conventional Plant Breeding for Cultivar Development