Canadian forage processors and growers may be ready for Roundup Ready alfalfa, but they say their customers will make the final decision.
Beginning early in 2004, American forage producers may be able to plant a new Roundup Ready alfalfa that will have less competition at establishment and produce cleaner hay due to a tolerance for glyphosate.
Monsanto Canada says it has no immediate plans to register the variety here.
As well as inserting a glyphosate tolerant gene, research has also identified other alfalfa characteristics that might be improved through genetic engineering.
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Researchers say their work may result in a combination of gly-phosate tolerance, winter hardiness, yield enhancement, pest resistance and adaptation to low pH soils.
They may also be able to increase levels of bypass protein to improve feed quality. Bypass protein is the portion of the alfalfa that escapes the rumen without being broken down, improving the animal’s use of protein and reducing bloat.
While these characteristics would benefit most commercial forage producers, Canadian growers are wary because of the attitudes of their customers.
Most American alfalfa, especially in the MidWest, is used by the domestic dairy industry. Much of the Canadian commercial crop, however, is dehydrated and sold to export markets – 65 percent of it to Southeast Asia and Europe. Both markets have limited acceptance of genetically modified products.
Mark McCaslin, who works on a genetically modified alfalfa project at Forage Genetics International in St. Joseph, Minnesota, said his company and its partner Monsanto are trying to figure out how to gain regulatory acceptance of GM alfalfa in Japan and China.
He said they are also looking at Canada as a future market.
Because of alfalfa’s propensity to cause bloat if grazed alone, most alfalfa in Canada is grown with brome grass for pasture or hay. A herbicide tolerant alfalfa in these mixed pastures would be unsuitable because spraying would kill the grass.
“However, western Canadian producers might be interested if we can develop a bloat-free variety,” McCaslin said.
Alfalfa has higher digestibility and allows greater gains on pasture than grass or grass-legume mixes.
Agriculture Canada was approached two or three years ago by the American researchers who are now developing the Roundup Ready product, said Bruce Coulman, a forage researcher with Agriculture Canada in Saskatoon.
“We talked to the industry, but there was no strong support. The seed industry was the most supportive. They have to deal with weeds like Canada thistle in their alfalfa. The rest of the industry wasn’t keen on it,” he said.
“The beef guys said it was not a big deal and the dehy industry say their customers wouldn’t want it, so they weren’t very interested either.”
Agriculture Canada did not pursue the breeding program.
Bjorn Berg, a forage researcher with the Alberta government, said the need for reduced bloat “is there, but it isn’t an insurmount-able problem now.
“The cattle industry would welcome a no-bloat alfalfa, but there are some management solutions that are currently available too.”
Dale Pulkinen, executive director of the Saskat-chewan Dehydrators Association in Tisdale, Sask., agreed that Roundup Ready alfalfa sounds attractive.
“Grassy weeds are a problem and we would like to have it for that reason. It would improve our alfalfa, no question. But you still need someone to buy it.
“Right now the margins are so tight on alfalfa that (growers) might not be able to afford to spray crops anyway.”
