Improving Hybrid Bromegrass
- Project No: 20251084
- Lead Researcher(s): Bill Biligetu (University of Saskatchewan)
- Collaborators: Andrew Sharpe (Global Institute for Food Security), Surenda Bhattarai (University of Wyoming), Hu Wang (AgResearch), Greg Penner (University of Saskatchewan)
- Year Started: 2026
Background
Hybrid brome is a cross between smooth and meadow brome that is very productive and well adapted to western Canadian growing conditions as it was first developed in Saskatchewan. It is quite popular for hay and pasture, but only three varieties – AC Knowles, AC Success, and AC Torque are currently commercially available.
Objectives
The objectives of this project are to:
- Evaluate forage and nutritional traits of genetically diverse hybrid brome populations developed over the past twenty years
- Apply genomic selection methods to develop novel, high-yielding populations with improved fibre digestibility and improved seed production
- Develop near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) calibrations for neutral detergent fibre digestibility in hybrid brome
- Collect variety registration data for the new hybrid brome breeding lines
Implications of the Research
This project will apply modern breeding techniques such as unmanned aerial vehicle phenotyping and genomic selection to the hybrid brome breeding program, evaluate sources of germplasm to find breeding lines with traits most suitable for forage and beef production, and eventually, result in superior hybrid brome varieties. This will provide producers with more forage options to choose from.
This project is also supported by Results Driven Agriculture Research, Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund, Manitoba Forage Seed Association, Saskatchewan Cattle Association, and the Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission
