La Station I.N.R.A. d'Amélioration des Plantes Fourragères de Lusignan : des projets sur "l'herbe"

The forage plant breeding Station at Lusignan : « projects on grass »

The work now in progress at the Forage Plant Breeding Station at Lusignan (Station d’Amélioration des Plantes Fourragères) is presented, together with information on the 35 year-long history of the laboratories. The station is unique in the European Union, because the breeding of forage plants is coupled with simultaneous testing with cattle. Most studies on forage grasses are centred on the aptitude for grazing. A new intergeneric hybrid, Festulolium, is being bred, with the object of associating within the same genome the specific qualities of Lolium (ingestibility, digestibility, rapid establishment, grazing ability) and those of Festuca (hardiness, persistence). Lucerne is being bred for a higher energy content, while maintaining the high protein content of the species. With maize, the breeding aims include a high ingestibility and a high disgestibility of the silage, together with a strong resistance to root lodging and a better tolerance to environmental stresses. Investigations are carried out on the relationships between biochemical traits of the cell wall parts of plants and traits pertaining to the feeding value in the genotype. With lupin, a legume with a large protein content in the seeds, efforts are made to improve ease of cultivation in northern Europe, through the creation of determinated dwarf lines. Economical aspects of forage management at low levels of intensification are investigated in the area of Montmorillon, demonstrating the importance of forages in the economics of animal husbandry. The present crisis in cattle rearing and marketing more than ever highlights the importance of forage breeding both in animal nutrition and for the management of areas covered with natural grasslands.