Research in the genetic engineering of alfalfa is currently underway to improve alfalfa for traits such as tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, forage quality, and herbicide resistance. Alfalfa is also being engineered to produce novel compounds for industrial and diagnostic purposes. This research will likely lead to the production of improved cultivars, as well as new uses for alfalfa.

SUMMARY Feeding trials were conducted on three groups of chicks in eight lots receiving a growing mash containing dehydrated alfalfa m eal at levels of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, O, 12, and 15 per cent. Comparisons were not made simultaneously but no general trend toward growth d e-press ion was evident in comparable lots. In addition duplicate trials of four lots of n ewly hatched New H ampshire chicks...

The objective of this study was to compare utilization of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) by lactating dairy cows. Red clover and alfalfa were harvested and conserved as silage at two maturities in 2 consecutive yr. Each year, diets containing experimental forages and supplemental grain were fed to 16 multiparous Holstein cows in early lactation in a replicat...

A study was conducted to evaluate effects of alfalfa meal on growth performance and gastrointestinal tract development of growing layer ducks to provide evidence for application of alfalfa meal in the duck industry. Two hundred and fifty-six healthy Shaoxing 7-wk old growing layer ducks were selected and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatments based on corn and soybean meal and containi...

Alfalfa and orchardgrass herbages of similar digestibility were harvested at early and late maturity from primary growth and conserved as direct-cut silage using formic acid and formaldehyde simultaneously. Major compositional differences between the silages were lower NDF (principally hemicellulose) and a greater N content in alfalfa than in orchardgrass. An initial group of eight steers was s...

Alfalfa hay is a major crop supporting U.S ruminant livestock industry, particularly dairy. Several cellulosic feedstocks will be needed to meet current ethanol production goals. Alfalfa has considerable potential as a feedstock for production of ethanol and other industrial materials because of its high biomass production, perennial nature, ability to provide its own nitrogen fertilizer, and v...

Alfalfa is the most extensively cultivated forage legume, yet most alfalfa cultivars are not aluminum tolerant, and the molecular mechanisms underlying alfalfa responses to Al stress are largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to understand how alfalfa responds to Al stress by identifying and analyzing Al-stress-responsive genes in alfalfa roots at the whole-genome scale. The transcriptome cha...

In June 2005, USDA/FDA/EPA deregulated the Roundup Ready trait in alfalfa. In August 2005, seed of the first Roundup Ready alfalfa varieties was offered for sale. This was the first biotech trait to be commercialized in alfalfa, and paved the way for new research supporting a second wave of biotech traits enhancing value in alfalfa. These new biotech traits can be divided into two categories: o...