Fundamentals for forage crop breeding and seed production in Russia

Abstract

Plant breeding and seed production of new generation fodder crops is the groundwork for creating a fodder base for livestock production in sufficient quantities. The Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology founded in 2018 based on of the All-Russia Williams Fodder Research Institute and other scientific institutions is the largest and most comprehensive center in the field of food production. It develops new techniques and methods for creating initial seed material based on a wide use of genetics, biotechnology, microbiology, immunology, ecology, biogeocenology, and cell selection. During the existence of the Fodder Research Institute and its experimental stations, up to 300 varieties of feed crops were created, which occupied leading positions in the production of fodder in meadows, pastures, and hayfields. Eighty-five modern varieties of fodder crops of the latest generation are widely used and zoned in all regions of Russia. However, the destroyed system of elite and commercial seed production does not allow these varieties to take their rightful place in fodder production, and the market still possesses a large share of non-varietal and mass scale reproduction seeds. In addition, imported seeds brought to the Russian market are often disguised as lawn varieties to reduce the cost and simplify their entry to the market. In this way, 107 varieties of winter ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), 47 varieties of cane fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), 21 varieties of creeping clover (Trifolium repens L.), etc. appeared in Russia. In such circumstances, the attention of the Williams Center is focused on the development of techniques and methods for creating fundamentally new varieties based on its own research in genetics, biotechnology, immunology, and ecological selection. Much attention is paid to expanding the network of research stations throughout Russia in order to revive the system of elite seed growing, especially in the regions with the most favorable climate for growing seeds of particular crops. A seed production center was organized as a branch of the Williams Center at the end of 2020. In the future, it is planned to create a united coordinated interdepartmental complex for the breeding of fodder crops in accordance with the regional needs of animal husbandry.

Evaluation of promising lines of spring barley in the conditions of the Northern Trans-Urals

“…Currently, the tasks facing researchers of barley and other cereals are to develop varieties with a high content of these useful chemical components or to produce crops suitable for use in healthy foods, and for food scientists -to manufacture products from barley with high nutritional value, which are usually accepted in the markets [10]. Improving the quality of barley is beneficial for the production of healthier foods, while understanding the chemical and functional components, as well as their genetic regulation in barley grains and their health benefits, is fundamental to improving the appropriate quality and meeting market requirements [11][12][13][14][15].…”

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ КОЛЛЕКЦИОННОГО МАТЕРИАЛА ЛОМКОКОЛОСНИКА СИТНИКОВОГО (Psathyrostachys junceus) В УСЛОВИЯХ СЕВЕРНОГО КАЗАХСТАНА

“…В условиях севера Казахстана с жесткими климатическими условиями большую роль играют засухоустойчивые кормовые культуры, дающие хороший урожай кормовой массы, с высокими кормовыми достоинствами, способных противостоять воздействию абиотическим (температура, влажность) и биотическим (воздействие живых организмов) факторам среды. Большинство сортов многолетних злаковых трав, включенных в Государственный реестр селекционных достижений РК, отно-сятся к сенокосному типу использования, а сортов по-настоящему пастбищных, выдерживающих несколько стравливаний очень мало [1]. Именно к таким культурам относится ломкоколосник (волоснец) ситниковый (каз.…”

The use of biological fabaceae resources of the cretaceous south of Russia in breeding on the example of the species Melilotus albus medik

“…Scientists of the Belgorod State National Research University together with the leading centers of the Russian Academy of Sciences (the Federal Scientific Center of Fodder Production and Agroecology named after V.R. Williams, the All-Russian Research Institute of Phytopathology and others) conduct expedition, field and laboratory studies of biological resources of valuable legume species of the Cretaceous south of the Central Russian Upland to involve them in breeding programs to expand the assortment of perennial herbs for multipurpose use [3,4,5].…”