Research

Background

Non bloating legumes such as cicer milkvetch and Birdsfoot trefoil are enticing to producers as they can provide many of the same animal performance and environmental benefits as alfalfa without the risk of bloat. However, it can be difficult to get these species established quickly due to hard seed coats that impair uniform germination, and they can also suffer from poor seedling vigour.

Plant growth regulators are compounds that modify the hormonal action of plants and can have various beneficial effects, such as reducing lodging in cereal crops or promote fruit ripening. This project intends to investigate whether plant growth regulators can improve the establishment and seedling vigour of cicer milkvetch and Birdsfoot trefoil.

Objective

• Evaluate the effects of seed priming with gibberellic acid (a plant hormone that may stimulate seed germination and seed growth) on the rate and uniformity of seed germination and long-term growth of cicer milkvetch and Birdsfoot trefoil.

• To evaluate the efficacy of gibberellic acid and kinetin (a compound often included in commercial crop plant growth regulator products) to stimulate growth and establishment of these legumes.

• Conduct economic analysis to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using gibberellin and/or kinetin.

• Develop tissue culture and gene transformation protocols for CRISPR/Cas gene editing in cicer milkvetch and Birdsfoot trefoil to accelerate breeding efforts.

Implications of the Research

This project has short- and long-term implications. In the short term, utilizing these plant growth regulators as a seed treatment may enhance germination and seedling vigour. Longer term, gene editing may allow for these traits to be incorporated into new variety development for these legumes.