Narrowleaf and big trefoil lines released by ARS scientists should give breeders new opportunities to improve forage for livestock and wildlife. Trefoils offer advantages over alfalfa, because they don't cause bloating in the grazing animals and can grow in harsher conditions. As legumes, they also fix nitrogen into the soil—in other words, transform nitrogen from the atmosphere into forms that plants can use for growth. This can reduce the need for fertilizer and purchased feeds for livestock, lowering production costs. Though birdsfoot trefoil has become popular, U.S. growers have not had much access to narrowleaf or big trefoil. The new releases—ARS–1207 narrowleaf trefoil and ARS–1221 big trefoil—combine the characteristics of dozens of different genetic populations collected from around the world. That way, breeders can use them to evaluate all available characteristics for each species without individually testing dozens of different plants. Researchers and breeders can obtain small amounts of seed from Jeffrey Steiner.

Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit, Corvallis, OR
Jeffrey Steiner, (541) 750–8734, steinerj@ucs.orst.edu
Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO
Paul Beuselinck, (573) 882–6406, BeuselinckP@missouri.edu