Page 2 - MWC 8-20-20s

The Midwest Cattleman · August 20, 2020 · P2
Tall Fescue for Grazing Livestock:

Researchers Look to Improve Nutrition

By Mike Trammell, Senior Plant Breeder
and Carolyn Young, Ph.D., Professor
Pastures dominated by pe-
rennial grass species form the
base of animal/forage produc-
tion systems worldwide and
are vital to their economic
sustainability. Tall fescue is
a persistent cool-season pe- right) tall fescue cultivar leaf determine if soft-leaf tall fes- after 24 hours of grazing in a
rennial grass widely grown in traits in order to develop the cue represents a unique set of trial at Ardmore, Oklahoma.
the southern United States. next generation of forages. individuals within the tall fes- Tall Fescue Available Now
However, its nutritional value Therefore, we have decided cue species. Mike Trammell and Caro-
is lower than ideal for many to tackle this problem by first Identifying the specific lyn Young, Ph.D., have worked
livestock enterprises. This pro- exploring the mechanisms, or traits that determine leaf soft- together on tall fescue breed-
vides us with an opportunity to traits that determine leaf soft- ness will help Noble’s breeding ing for 14 years, releasing
improve tall fescue as a forage ness and nutrition in tall fes- program in the development two successful tall fescue cul-
for grazing livestock. cue varieties. of next-generation tall fescue tivars: Texoma MaxQ II and
In the U.S., most tall fes- The specific aims of our proj- varieties with improved forage Chisholm.
cue varieties are considered ect are to: quality and palatability. The Texoma MaxQ II contains
to have a coarse leaf texture, •Develop protocols to char- new varieties will contribute a nontoxic novel endophyte
which reduces an animal’s de- acterize the physical differ- to the sustainability and prof- and is adapted to areas east of
sire to graze and ultimately re- ences and tensile strength of itability of livestock production the I-35 corridor in Oklahoma
sults in lower forage consump- leaves in various types of tall systems throughout the south- and Texas. Seeds are avail-
tion and weight gains. Soft-leaf fescue that range in leaf soft- ern U.S. and similar agricul- able through Pennington Seed
tall fescue varieties are pre- ness. tural environments through- Company in Madison, Georgia.
ferred by cattle and have been •Compare the dynamics of out the world. It will also allow Chisholm is adapted to
associated with increased ani- leaf structure, yield, crude pro- other plant breeders to effi- the drier climate west of I-35.
mal performance, but these va- tein, digestibility and water ciently and effectively use the Seeds are available through
rieties cannot withstand harsh soluble carbohydrates of tall traits in their own breeding Warner Brothers Seed Compa-
weather conditions across the fescue varieties that differ in programs. ny in Lawton, Oklahoma.
southern U.S. leaf softness. We’ll be looking Figure 2. Preference by cat-
Figure 1. The plant breeding at coarse-leaf cultivars and tle of commercial soft leaf tall www.noble.org
teams at Noble Research Insti- hybrids of coarse- and soft-leaf fescue cultivar over traditional
tute are comparing soft, hybrid germplasm (figure 1). coarse leaf types (the plot be-
and coarse leaf (from left to •Use genetic screening to tween the two soft leaf plots)

Figure 1 Figure 2