Active CRIS Projects:

3655-21000-033-01T Ron Hatfield

INCREASING PECTIC CARBOHYDRATES IN ALFALFA LINES TO ENHANCE ANIMAL PERFORMANCE

Objectives: : Analyze a wide range of alfalfa germplasm for total pectic carbohydrates. Analyze plants selected by NIR for total pectic carbohydrates. Analyze generated populations for high and low pectin.

Approach: A diverse set of alfalfa germplasm obtained from the participating companies of the Pectin Consortium will be chemically screened for total pectic carbohydrate content. The material will represent a wide range of genetic backgrounds and will be grown in different locations around the U.S. Data from multiple years will be used by the Pectin Consortium to generate an NIR equation for predicting total pectin content of alfalfa stems. Progeny from intercrossing among selected high pectin germplasm will be evaluated to determine total pectin in order to assess the heritability of this trait.