Exploring China for new accessions of alfalfa and other species for use in developing hay and pasture crops which require less chemical fertilizer and fewer pesticide applications.

  Using new molecular technology to help improve yield in alfalfa, the Nation's most important hay and pasture legume.

 Improving alfalfa.

Alfalfa is recognized as the world's most productive and nutritious hay and pasture legume. There are over 25 million acres of alfalfa grown in the U.S. Because legumes can remove nitrogen from the atmosphere, they require no nitrogen fertilizer. Legumes not only supply their own nitrogen, but supply residual nitrogen to succeeding crops--reducing the need for supplemental, chemical nitrogen applications and thereby reducing ground water pollution. As with humans, plants are more vigorous and healthy if their parents are not closely related. Vigor is very important in hay and pasture crops because it is related to the amount of material that is available to feed to animals. We are developing new molecular genetics techniques with which we can select distantly related alfalfa parents. Crosses among these parents will help improve yield.

  Significant Publications

Significant Publications and Germplasm Releases
1. Bauchan, G. R., T. A. Campbell, N. R. O'Neill, and J. H. Elgin Jr. 1990. Self-incompatibility in two alfalfa populations. Crop Sci. 30:1205-1209.
2. Campbell, T. A., and G. R. Bauchan. 1990. Stability of self-incompatibility and cross- compatibility in partially self-incompatible alfalfa clones. Can. J. Plant Sci. 70:739-746.
3. Abbott, J. A., T. A. Campbell, and D. R. Massie. 1994. Delayed light emission and fluorescence responses of plants to chilling. Remote Sens. Environ. 47:87-97.
4. Bauchan, G. R., and T. A. Campbell. 1994. Use of an image analysis system to karyotype diploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). J. Heredity 85:18-22.
5. Campbell, T. A., P. R. Jackson, and Z. L. Xia. 1994. Effects of Aluminum Stress on Alfalfa Root Proteins. J. Plant Nutrition 17:461-471.
6. Campbell, T. A., Z. L. Xia, P. R. Jackson, and V. C. Baligar. 1994. Diallel Analysis of Tolerance to Aluminum in Alfalfa. Euphytica 72:157-162.
7. Campbell. ,T. A. 1995. Release of a moderately aluminum tolerant alfalfa germplasm (B13- AL4-AC3)
8. Campbell, T. A. 1996. Release of an improved Medicago ruthenica germplasm.
9. Campbell, T. A., G. Bao and Z. L. Xia. 1997. Agronomic evaluation of Medicago ruthenicacollected in Inner Mongolia. Crop Sci. 37:599-604.
10. Campbell T. A. And Y. He. 1997. Factorial analysis of self-incompatibility in alfalfa. Can. J. Pt. Sci. 77:69-73.
11. Johnson, E. L., T. A. Campbell, and C. D. Foy. 1997. Effect of soil pH on mineral element concentrations of two Erythroxylum species. J. Plant. Nutrition 20: 1503-1515.
12. van Berkum, P, D. Beyene, G. Bao, T. A. Campbell, and B. D. Eardly. 1997. Rhizobium mongolense sp. Nov., is one of three rhizobial genotypes identified which nodulate and form nitrogen-fixing symbioses with Medicago ruthenica [(L.) Ledebour]. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology.