Award details

Manipulating the chemical composition of forage crops to improve their nutritional value

Reference	BBS/E/G/00003120
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Phillip Morris
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Inst of Grassland and Environmental Res
Department	Inst of Grassland and Environmental Res Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	814,179
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/1999
End date	31/03/2003
Duration	48 months

Abstract

The accumulation of secondary metabolites may have adverse or beneficial effects on forage quality but may also provide a degree of chemical defence against predation, competition, disease and environmental stress. We aim to increase our understanding of how secondary metabolite accumulation in forage species affects their quality as fresh or conserved animal feed, with the objective of improving the compositional quality of grasses, legumes and oats while maintaining or enhancing plant defence responses. Genetic manipulation techniques have the potential for modifying the accumulation of these compounds by directing biochemical pathways in more favourable directions to improve crop performance and raw material quality. In particular we will study the genetic and environmental factors controlling secondary metabolite accumulation in grasses and clovers and determine, in collaboration with other projects, how this affects tissue digestion and microbial processes in the rumen and silo. Five main targets have been identified. (i) To generate transgenic Lolium and Festuca with altered expression of genes affecting cell wall physical properties (ii) To characterize metabolic rerouting and pleotropic effects of transgenes affecting tannin biosynthesis in Lotus corniculatus (iii) To determine the effects of biotic and abiotic stress on secondary metabolism in forage crops (iv) To identify the cell and tissue distribution of polyphenols in forage crops during plant development. (v) To characterize the structure / activity relations of condensed tannins.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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