Abstract
An inter-institutional and multi-disciplinary project to identify Brachiaria genotypes, which combine waterlogging tolerance with high forage yield and quality, for use in agricultural land in Latin America with poor drainage, is underway. The aim is to improve meat and milk production and mitigate the impacts of climate change in the humid areas of Latin America. Researchers at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have developed a screening method to evaluate waterlogging in grasses. Using this method, 71 promising hybrids derived from the species, Brachiaria ruziziensis , B. brizantha and B. decumbens , were evaluated. Four hybrids with superior waterlogging tolerance were identified. Their superiority was based on greater: green-leaf biomass production, proportion of green leaf to total leaf biomass, green-leaf area, leaf chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency; and reduced dead-leaf biomass. These hybrids, together with previously selected hybrids and germplasm accessions, are being field-tested for waterlogging tolerance in collaboration with National Agricultural Research Institutions and farmers from Colombia, Nicaragua and Panama.
Highlights
The frequency of extreme weather events, including heavy precipitation, will likely increase in the future due Perennial Brachiaria grasses are the most widely sown forage grasses in tropical America (Miles et al 2004; Valle and Pagliarini 2009)
A set of 71 Brachiaria hybrids (Brachiaria ruziziensis x B. brizantha x B. decumbens) was evaluated at Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) for tolerance to waterlogging using the same screening method; 4 hybrids were superior to the others (Rincón et al 2008)
Researchers in Colombia, Nicaragua and Panama have conducted interviews with livestock producers to make a quick assessment of their perceptions of problems associated with excess water in the rainy season and desirable characteristics needed in new cultivars to confront climate variability and change
Summary
The frequency of extreme weather events, including heavy precipitation, will likely increase in the future due Perennial Brachiaria grasses are the most widely sown forage grasses in tropical America (Miles et al 2004; Valle and Pagliarini 2009). The main objective of an inter-institutional and multi-disciplinary project was to identify genotypes of Brachiaria that combine waterlogging tolerance with high forage quality for improving meat and milk production and mitigate the impacts of climate change in humid areas of tropical Latin America. Estimation of areas in Latin America with poorly drained soils to target improved Brachiaria grasses
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