The genus Lotus : Its improvement and importance as a forage species in the Argentinean livestock Bioeconomy

RUIZ, O.A.

PERUGIA

Conferencia; SEMINARY IN THE IGV-CNR. PERUGIA. ITALY; 2015

IGV-CNR

Legumes are one of the most important sources of human food and animal forage. The economy of the Salado River Basin in the Flooding Pampa region, the most important livestock breeding area in Argentina, is mostly based on species of this family. Among them, Lotus spp. and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) have been traditionally cultivated as forages. Despite the outstanding qualities of most of the soils in the Pampa region, nearly 60% of the surface of the Salado River Basin is dominated by salt-affected soils with severe constraints for crop cultivation. In order to cope with that limitation, farmers have utilized species such as L. tenuis, which shows a very good adaptation to this kind of soil. As a result, inter-seeding of L. tenuis has been proposed as a strategy of choice for improving forage production. However, the forage quality of L. tenuis is still lower compared to other legumes. In addition, some researchers have claimed that this species could be used to reclamation of sodic soils, even though little is known about its potential. The increase in soil quality by these means is achieved by an increment of the organic matter content, improvement of soil fertility as well as microbial and enzymatic activity. Thus, the introduction of L. tenuis and/or other Lotus genotypes could have enormous benefits for similar constrained lands around the world. It should be taken into account that these changes in soil qualities are closely related to changes in microflora, a key factor in the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This results essentially from both lower soil GHG emissions and higher soil C sequestration. Therefore, it is conceived that the introduction of new legume species should be accompanied by thorough analysis of its ecological implications. In this project, we plan an integrated analysis of the changes that occur in soils under legume production. We will not only analyze the microbial diversity associated to these cultures, but also soil physical and chemical characteristics and the impact of different legume-microbes association on mitigation of GHG emissions. In addition, we will try to identify the main genetic determinants associated with interesting agronomic traits sought by producers of forage legumes, such as plant tolerance against pathogens and the content of condensed tannins. We hope our research will build a solid base for the improvement of agronomically-important species and the development of better strategies for the management of constrained lands.