Forage Research in Canada Past Lessons for a Better Future

Gilles Bélanger

Soils and Crops Research and Development CentreAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada

5th Annual CFGA Conference and Annual General Meeting

Outline

• The past– Changing priorities– Changes in forage production– Some achievements

• The future– Main drivers– Challenges and opportunities

• My observations from 30 years of forage research.

• Emphasis on agronomy and breeding.

• Focus on eastern Canada.

The 80’s, Increasing yield

• Emphasis on inputs– e.g. fertilizers

The 80’s, Increasing yield

• Emphasis on inputs

• Marginal lands

– Establishment of legume species on shallow soils in eastern Ontario

– Efficiency of subsurface drainage in New Brunswick

The 90’s, Environment and climate change

• Greenhouse gases– N2O, CH4

• N and P losses

• Global changes– Temperature, CO2

The 2000’s, New uses of forage crops

• Energy from crops without affecting food production– Perennial crops

– Marginal lands

– Low cost inputs

Changes in forage production

• Overall increase in Canada (+39%)– Decrease in eastern Canada but increase in

western Canada from 1976 to 2006– Québec (-24%), Ontario (-10%)– Loosing ground to annual crops in Québec

and Ontario

Changes in forage production

• Overall increase in Canada (+39%)– Decrease in eastern Canada but increase in

western Canada from 1976 to 2006– Québec (-24%), Ontario (-10%)– Loosing ground to annual crops in Québec and

Ontario

• No yield increases or even a decrease in regional yield data (Jefferson and Selles, 2007)

9

Hay yield decline in Saskatchewan

Adapted from Jefferson and Larson. 2014. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1-4.

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Hay yield

(t ha-1

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

10

Forage yield in Québec

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

t/ha

(m.s.

)

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

t/ha

Taken from : Portrait, constats et enjeux du secteur des plantes fourragères au Québec, CQPF, April 2010.

Changes in forage production

• Overall increase in Canada (+39%)– Decrease in eastern Canada but increases in western

Canada from 1976 to 2006– Québec (-24%), Ontario (-10%)– Loosing ground to annual crops in Québec and Ontario

• No yield increases or even a decrease in regional yield data

• Increase in nutritive value

Percent of 1st-crop hay harvested by June 1 in Wisconsin, 1980-2012 (NASS)

Rankin, M. 2013. Proc. 2103 Crop Management Conference, Vol. 52.

Achievements – A few examples

Breeding of recommended species• Winter tolerance of alfalfa

– Apica, AC caribou• Yield in 2nd and 3rd year of red clover

– AC Endure• Better seedling vigor of trefoil

– AC Langille

Achievements – A few examples

New species• Meadow bromegrass• Tall fescue• Bromegrass hybrids• Sainfoin

Achievements – A few examples

Management• Cutting management of alfalfa

Carb

oh

yd

rate

re

se

rve

s (

g.

pla

nt

-1)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

Nit

rog

en

re

se

rve

s (

g.p

lan

t-1)

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

2 Harvests3 Har. 400 GDD3 Har. 500 GDD3 Har. 600 GDD

3rd Har. 500 GDD17 Sept.

3rd Har. 600 GDD7 Oct.

3rd Har. 400 GDD8 Sept.

2nd Harvest7 Aug.

3rd Har. 600 GDD7 Oct.

3rd Har. 500 GDD17 Sept.

2nd Harvest7 Aug.

3rd Har. 400 GDD8 Sept.

1st Aug. 97 1st Oct. 97 1st Dec. 97 1st Feb. 98 1st Apr. 98

• Importance of N reserves for regrowth.

• Fall cutting management based on number of growing degree days.

Achievements – A few examples

Management• Cutting management of alfalfa • Swath grazing

Achievements – A few examples

Management• Cutting management of alfalfa • Swath grazing• Specialized forages

– Forages for dry cows

DC

AD

(m

eq/k

g D

M)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700Spring growth Summer regrowth

a

b

c

a

ab

c

bc

d

bb

Mea

dow bromeg

rass

Smooth bro

megra

ss

Timoth

y

Cocksfo

ot

Tall fesc

ue

Mea

dow bromeg

rass

Smooth bro

megra

ss

Timoth

y

Cocksfo

ot

Tall fesc

ue

Tremblay et al. 2006

Achievements – A few examples

Management• Cutting management of alfalfa and other

species • Swath grazing• Specialized forages

– Forage for dry cows– Sweet forages

AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM

Non

str

uct

ura

l car

boh

ydra

tes

(mg

g-1 D

M)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

SpringRed clover

Summer SpringTimothy

SummerSpringAlfalfa

Summer

SEM

Cutting:Growth:Species:

Pelletier et al. 2010

Photo: C. Morin

Achievements – A few examples

Management• Cutting management of alfalfa • Swath grazing• Specialized forages

– Forages for dry cows – Sweet forages – Se-enriched forages

The future? Three main drivers …

• Sustainability of milk and meat production systems

• Global change (+ 3ºC; elevated CO2)

• Feeding the planet

Sustainability

• Profitability and acceptability– Economic, environmental, and social dimensions

Sustainability

• Profitability and acceptability– Economic, environmental, and social dimensions

• Forage solutions– Greater role of forages in feeding ruminants

• Less grain crops fed to ruminants• Needs better forage nutritive value

Sustainability

• Profitability and acceptability– Economic, environmental, and social dimensions

• Forage solutions– Greater role of forages in feeding ruminants

• Less grain crops fed to ruminants• Needs better forage nutritive value

– Greater role of perennial legumes• Less fertilizer N• Needs better legume persistence

Sustainability

• Profitability and acceptability– Economic, environmental, and social dimensions

• Forage solutions– Greater role of forages in feeding ruminants

• Less grain crops fed to ruminants• Needs better forage nutritive value

– Greater role of perennial legumes• Less fertilizer N• Needs better legume persistence

– Increased yield• Better profitability (farm income)• Improved use efficiency of inputs

Global change

• +3ºC, elevated CO2, longer growing season, precipitation distribution

Global change

• +3ºC, elevated CO2, longer growing season, precipitation distribution

Bélanger et al. 2002.

Global change

• +3ºC, elevated CO2, longer growing season, precipitation distribution

Bélanger et al. 2002.

Jing et al. 2014.

Global change

• +3ºC, elevated CO2, longer growing season, precipitation distribution

• Forage solutions– Species/Mixtures

• Better adapted species (e.g. tall fescue)• Improved species (breeding)

– Timothy regrowth– Legume persistence

Global change

• +3ºC, elevated CO2, longer growing season, precipitation distribution

• Forage solutions– Species/Mixtures

• Better adapted species (e.g. tall fescue)• Improved species (breeding)

– Management• Timing and number of harvests

Feeding the planet

• Increased food demand on a limited land base

• Forage solutions– More forage production on marginal lands

• Tolerance to abiotic stresses

Feeding the planet

• Increased food demand on a limited land base

• Forage solutions– More forage production on marginal lands

• Tolerance to abiotic stresses

– More forage in ruminant diets• Better forage nutritive value

Feeding the planet

• Increased food demand on a limited land base

• Forage solutions– More forage production on marginal lands

• Tolerance to abiotic stresses

– More forage in ruminant diets• Better forage nutritive value (digestibility)

– Intensification of production• Increasing the crop potential• Reducing the yield gap

From actual to potential yield

Actual

Soil, Water & nutrient limited

PotentialCrop featuresRadiationTemperatureCO2

Defining factors

Yield

Pro

duct

ion

situ

atio

n

WaterNutrientsSoil

Limiting factors

WeedsInsectsDiseases

Reducing factors

Adapted from Oenema et al. 2014. Crop & Pasture Science 65: 524-537.

Yield (t/ha) gap for alfalfa in the US

Northeast Lake States

Northern Plains

Cultivar trials 17.5 11.6 17.0

2007 Census

Top 10% farms 8.7 9.2 9.9

Median farms 4.0 4.0 4.7

Russelle, M.P. 2013. Forage and Grazinglands.

Challenges and opportunities

• Greater role of forages in feeding ruminants– Improved nutritive value

• Greater role of perennial legumes– Improved persistence

• New options for species and management– Yield, nutritive value, and persistence

• More forage production on marginal lands– Tolerance to abiotic stresses (yield and persistence)

• Intensification of production– Increased yield

Forage yield

• Reducing the yield gap– Tolerance to weeds, insects, and diseases– Tolerance to nutrients, water, cold, salinity, and

heat– Cropping and soil improvement practices

• Increasing the yield potential− Increasing radiation capture in early spring or after a

harvest• e.g. timothy with no leaves after harvest

− Increasing shoot/root ratio− Increasing photosynthetic efficiency

Variety trial mean alfalfa yield (Arlington, WI)

Rankin, M. 2013. Proc. 2103 Crop Management Conference, Vol. 52.

Alfalfa: 0.25% per yearCorn: 1.4% per year

(Annricchiarico et al. 2014)

Forage yield

• Increasing yield = reduced nutritive value and persistence– Negative relationship between yield and nutritive value

Ercé

400

500

600

700

800

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Standing herbage mass (t ha-1)

Plan

t dig

estib

ility

(g k

g-1)

Sown swards Species-rich pastures

Forage yield

• Increasing yield = reduced nutritive value and persistence– Negative relationship between yield and nutritive value– More growth in fall (less dormancy) or a fall harvest might

reduce persistence

Nutritive value

• Increasing nutritive value without affecting DM yield and persistence– Frequent cutting improves nutritive value but

reduces seasonal yield and persistence– Breeding for improved nutritive value often

results in lower DM yield

Nutritive value

• Increasing nutritive value without affecting DM yield

Claessens et al. (2004, 2005)

• Selection based on low ADL/CEL ratio

improves timothy DM digestibility

with no

reduction in DM yield.

• Similar results in alfalfa (Lamb et al. 2

014).

Persistence

• Long-term persistence of some forage species is possible– Timothy with the right N, P, and K fertilization

• Tolerance to winter conditions– e.g. alfalfa, orchardgrass

From Bertrand et al.

Persistence and cold tolerance

A-TF1

APICA

A-TF4 EV-TF2 EVOL

From Yves Castonguay et al.

Apica

A-TF6

Alfalfa

Persistence and cold tolerance

From Yves Castonguay et al.

Apica

A-TF6

Alfalfa Red clover

Can we improve them all…

Yield

Persistence Nutritive value

Farm system

Some challenges for forage research

• Significant progress has been made.• Forages vs. corn, wheat?• Less public and private investment • Complexity of forage crops

– Species, mixtures, cultivars• Legumes (6) and grasses (11)• Mixtures (12-18)

– Outbreeding, harvest index– Management and environment interactions

• Yield

• Nutritive value

• Persistence

A multidisplinary approach is needed

Management

Cultivars

AgronomyBreedingCrop physiologyBiochemistryAnimal nutritionMolecular biology

System analysis

Some challenges for forage research

• Problems are inherently multidisciplinary in nature

• Short-term experiments are often favoured by administrators (short funding cycles)

• Long-term experiments are needed to assess ecological services

(Norsberger 2010)

Summary

• Contexte (drivers) changes all the time.– “Nothing is permanent but change” (Heraclitus)

Summary• Contexte (drivers) changes all the time.• Significant progress has been made.

– Few examples– Limited resources for forage research– Complexity of forage production

Summary• Contexte (drivers) changes all the time.• Significant progress has been made.• Yield, quality, and persistence still central to forage

management.• Forage research is needed more than ever.

– Multidisciplinary teams– System approach– New tools

“Nothing we can do can change the past, but everything we do changes the future” (Ashleigh Brilliant)

Thanks to the CFGA Leadership Award

sponsored by New Holland