Physiological genetics of alfalfa improvement: past failures, future prospects

Volenec, Jeffrey J.; Cunningham, Suzanne M.; Haagenson, Darrin M.; Berg, W. K.; Joern, B. C.; Wiersma, D.

doi:10.1016/s0378-4290(02)00020-5

Cited by 84 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…An analysis of disease resistance ratings obtained from cultivar performance trials in the United States revealed that levels of disease incidence having a significant impact on persistence are less widespread than generally believed, and that factors other than diseases must contribute to genetic differences in alfalfa stand decline (Volenec et al 2002). However, the six diseases in their study did not include Fusarium crown and root rot and Sclerotinia crown and stem rot, two common diseases in eastern Canada.…”

Section: Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Those are only two examples of cultivars successfully developed to withstand eastern Canadian winters. In contrast, Volenec et al (2002) recently concluded that efforts in the United States to improve alfalfa persistence by breeding for greater winter hardiness have not been effective. The introgression of superior winter stress tolerance in high-yielding cultivars is difficult because of the complexity of the trait.…”

Section: Species and Cultivarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The introgression of superior winter stress tolerance in high-yielding cultivars is difficult because of the complexity of the trait. From those observations, Volenec et al (2002) concluded that variability for winter stress tolerance remains largely untapped by alfalfa breeding programs.…”

Section: Species and Cultivarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the past 10 to 15 yr, molecular and genetic studies have contributed important information on the nature of key adaptations for survival at low temperatures [see reviews by Castonguay et al (1997) and Volenec et al (2002)]. For instance, a close relationship between the capacity of alfalfa cultivars to accumulate the cryoprotective oligosaccharides stachyose and raffinose and freezing tolerance has been shown Cunningham et al 2003).…”

Section: Species and Cultivarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Winter damage to perennial forage crops in eastern Canada: Causes, mitigation, and prediction

Bélanger¹,

Castonguay²,

Bertrand³

et al. 2006

Can. J. Plant Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

R. 2006. Winter damage to perennial forage crops in eastern Canada: Causes, mitigation, and prediction. Can. J. Plant Sci. 86: 33-47. Harsh winter climate results in frequent losses of stands and yield reduction in many forage-growing areas of Canada and other parts of the world. Climatic conditions and crop management both affect the winter survival of perennial forage crops. In this review, we present the main causes of winter damage in eastern Canada and we discuss crop management practices that help mitigate the risks of losses. Predictive tools available to assess the risks of winter damage both spatially and temporally are also presented. Our understanding of the causes of winter damage and of the plant adaptation mechanisms to winter stresses, particularly the role of N and C organic reserves, has improved. Forage species commonly grown in eastern Canada differ in their tolerance to subfreezing temperatures and to anoxia caused by the presence of ice on fields. Some improvement in winter hardiness of forage legume species has been achieved through breeding in eastern Canada but new technologies based on laboratory freezing tests and the identification of molecular markers may facilitate the future development of winter-hardy cultivars. Crop management practices required for good winter survival are now better defined, particularly those involving cutting management and the interval between harvests. Simulation models and climatic indices derived from our current knowledge of the causes of winter damage provide general indications on the risk of winter damage but their degree of precision and accuracy is still not satisfactory. Further improvements in winter survival require a more thorough understanding of the different causes of winter damage and, primarily, of their complex interactions with genetic, climatic, and management factors.

show abstract

Section: Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Species and Cultivarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Species and Cultivarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Species and Cultivarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Winter damage to perennial forage crops in eastern Canada: Causes, mitigation, and prediction

Bélanger¹,

Castonguay²,

Bertrand³

et al. 2006

Can. J. Plant Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Its negative characteristic is low seed fertility. Direct selection towards increased seed yield is not very effective due to the polygenic character of quantitative traits affecting this character and their dependence on environmental conditions (Volenec et al 2002). Improvement of seed productivity may be obtained by the introduction to native cultivars of new mutation forms characterized by a high seed yielding potential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and cytological characteristics of inflorescence mutants in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. Sl)

Weigt¹,

Broda²,

Lira³

et al. 2009

Plant Breeding and Seed Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The presented study analyzed selected biometric characteristics of inflorescences, seed yield structure characters, and discussed cytological analyses concerning two spontaneous inflorescence mutants in alfalfa: top flowering (plants with the "tf"gene) and long peduncle mutants (plants with the "lp" gene). Analyses were conducted in 2005 and 2006 and the results were subjected to a one-way statistical analysis with the use of Tukey's test. It was found that mutants with gene "lp" exhibited the highest seed yielding potential, while plants with gene "tf" were characterized with the highest stability in terms of most investigated characters in the first and second year of the study; however, they set a lower number of seeds than plants of the control cultivar.

show abstract

The Phenotypic and Genotypic Eras of Plant Breeding

Lee

2006

Plant Breeding: The Arnel R. Hallauer International Symposium

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Physiological genetics of alfalfa improvement: past failures, future prospects

Cited by 84 publications

References 24 publications

Winter damage to perennial forage crops in eastern Canada: Causes, mitigation, and prediction

Winter damage to perennial forage crops in eastern Canada: Causes, mitigation, and prediction

Morphological and cytological characteristics of inflorescence mutants in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. Sl)

The Phenotypic and Genotypic Eras of Plant Breeding

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About