Development and use of molecular genetic markers for enhancing the feeding value of cereal crop residues for ruminants

Project ID:

AS2/1997/098

Collaborating Countries:

India, Pakistan

Commissioned Organisation:

International Livestock Research Institute, India

Project Leader

Dr Ercole Zerbini
Phone: 91 40 596 161
Fax: 91 40 241 239
Email: e.zerbini@cgnet.com

Collaborating Institutions:

CCS Haryana Agricultural University, India
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, India
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Syria
Tunisian National Institute for Agricultural Research, Tunisia
International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Colombia
International Livestock Research Institute, Kenya
National Research Institute for Agriculture, Morocco
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics, India
Agriculture Victoria, Australia
La Trobe University, Australia
Cooperative Research Centre for Molecular Plant Breeding, Australia

Project Budget:

$150,000

Project Duration:

01/07/1998 - 30/06/2000

ACIAR Research Program Manager

Dr Bill Winter

Project Background and Objectives

Improving the nutritive value of straws and other crop residues is a priority research area for countries where smallholder farmers manage most ruminant livestock. The most important determinant of nutritive value is digestibility because it correlates highly with voluntary feed intake and thus indicates the quantity of digestible nutrients the animal is receiving. This project will develop a technique of genetic marking to assist mapping of desired traits in the grasses, as a basis for later manipulating the characteristics of cell walls of the residues to render them more digestible and thus to increase their nutritive value. The target species are two cereals (barley and pearl millet) and two pasture grasses (perennial ryegrass andBrachiaria).

Project Outcomes

Outcomes for this project are currently being prepared