| 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.
A number of forage species collected by CIAT over the years, and in some instances
improved through our breeding work, are highly productive and have superior nutritional
value. Moreover, they can contribute to more environmentally sustainable land management.
Some tolerate low soil fertility and can withstand the harsh dry season typical of many
areas of Latin America. The African grass Brachiaria decumbens and the legumes Cratylia
argentea and Arachis pintoi are among the promising forages being promoted
by CIAT and its research partners, notably in the hillside ecosystems of South and Central
America and Southeast Asia.
CIAT has over 22,000 accessions of forage grasses and legumes in its plant genetic
resources collection. The main components are 18,400 samples of 654 legume species and
1,900 samples of 178 grasses. This valuable resource serves not only the international
R&D community but also CIAT’s own selection and breeding efforts. Since 1970,
national research programs in 14 countries have released 45 tropical forage varieties
(mostly grasses) derived from germplasm selections provided by CIAT. The total area
planted to CIAT-related forage varieties in Latin America is estimated at about 6.8
million hectares. There is, however, enormous potential for extending the use of improved
forage germplasm since native pasture species still occupy about 90 percent of tropical
America’s grazing area.
Type of reproductive material: seeds.
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to the forage database >> |
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