 Forage is any vegetative
material eaten by livestock. It includes live grasses and legumes grazed directly by
pastured animals as well as cut-and-carry biomass and fodder such as hay, leaves, shredded
sugarcane, chopped maize cobs, and dried cassava chips.About one-third of the
earth’s land surface is given over to livestock production. This enormous area
consists of native and improved pastures as well as crop lands devoted to growing
harvestable forage crops. As global demand for meat, milk, and other animal products grows
dramatically in the coming decades, so too will the need for improved forages. Small-scale
livestock producers in developing countries, faced with stiff competition from highly
efficient industrial operations, both domestic and foreign, will have to look at new
technical options, such as combinations of superior grasses and legumes, to replace native
pasture forages, which tend to be low in nutritional value.
The forage genetic resources now available from CIAT satisfy many of farmers’
requirements but by no means all. Some important traits are lacking, as is the case with
resistance to the ubiquitous grassland spittlebug in Brachiaria spp. CIAT
researchers have embarked on breeding of this trait for two compelling reasons. First, Brachiaria
grasses are the most widely grown forage species in tropical America. And second, the
spittlebug dramatically reduces forage productivity and persistence, contributing to
extensive pasture degradation in the region.
CIAT maintains a small forage germplasm bank at its headquarters from which researchers
may obtain small quantities of seed of advanced materials. For Central American countries,
forage lines are also available through CIAT’s office in Atenas, Costa Rica.
 |
Visit the CIAT