GM herbicide tolerant Alfalfa hits the paddocks in the US.

Genetic improvement in Forage offers:

• Increased forage yield through a number of possible mechanisms
• Improved forage quality through reduced lignin content
• Improved efficiency of protein utilization through increased rumen undegradable protein (RUP)
• Elimination of bloat risk from grazing alfalfa

Roundup ready alfalfa touted
March 8, 2006
Truth About Trade & Technology, via Agnet, Dave Wilkins

Twin Falls, Idaho – The makers of Roundup Ready alfalfa expect strong demand for the transgenic seed this year.
"The outlook for seed orders looks pretty positive, so I'm confident we'll sell out of the limited supply," Mark McCaslin, president of Forage Genetics International, told producers attending the Idaho Alfalfa and Forage Conference Feb. 27.
About 3 million pounds of the seed should be available for sale this year, up from 1 million pounds in 2005, McCaslin said.
But it will probably be spring 2007 before there is enough of the seed available to meet all the market demand, he said.
Roundup Ready alfalfa is a joint venture between Forage Genetics and Monsanto. The transgenic seed produces alfalfa plants resistant to Monsanto's popular broad-spectrum herbicide, Roundup.
Roundup Ready alfalfa received U.S. government approval last summer and limited seed sales began last fall.
There are plenty of other herbicides that provide good weed control in alfalfa, but there is a fair amount of crop injury associated with them, McCaslin said.
The other herbicides also have a fairly narrow window for application, compared with Roundup, he said.
McCaslin said the Roundup Ready system represents proven technology.
The Roundup Ready gene that was put into alfalfa is the same gene that was put into Roundup Ready soybeans, cotton, corn and canola.
"The technology works," McCaslin said. "It's been proven effective ... in a number of different crop species."
The company's research has shown increased forage yield, the result of decreased crop injury and better weed control, he said.
"When Roundup Ready benefits are compared with conventional weed control practices we see increased yield and increased quality," McCaslin said.
Bob Wilson, extension weed specialist with the University of Nebraska, said his research has also shown that Roundup Ready alfalfa provides maximum yields with almost no crop injury.
But there are still potential drawbacks.
Roundup Ready seed costs more than conventional alfalfa seed because of the cost of developing the technology, and some hay growers worry that their customers will be unaccepting of the transgenic product.
Organic dairies, for instance, are unlikely to buy hay produced from genetically modified seed, Wilson said.
"I think you're going to find some GMO resistance to some of your markets," he told growers.
There is also concern about the potential for cross pollination of Roundup Ready alfalfa fields and conventional alfalfa seed fields and the possibility that weeds will develop resistance to the herbicide.
In the Northwest, there has also been concern that hay exports will suffer if customers in Asia reject the idea of buying a genetically modified product.
Monsanto and Forage Genetics have been making progress in gaining regulatory approval from some importing countries.
Canada and Mexico granted import approval for Roundup Ready alfalfa in 2005, and Japan granted import approval earlier this month, McCaslin said.
The issue of cost still remains, with Roundup Ready seed selling at a hefty premium compared to conventional seed.
However, McCaslin and Wilson both said that growers could possibly pay for the extra cost of the seed in the first year with increased forage yield and quality.
A 50-pound bag of Roundup Ready alfalfa seed costs about $150 in the Western U.S.
"With a 20-pound (per acre) seeding rate, that's around $60 an acre for the technology for the life of the stand," McCaslin said.

Update- see Forage Genetics International

Biotechnology will continue to be an important part of agriculture's future. Forage Genetics International is uniquely positioned to combine the tools of biotechnology with conventional alfalfa breeding in the development of new alfalfa cultivars. In our plant molecular biology laboratory, FGI has the capability for all phases of biotech trait integration, including vector construction, plant transformation and molecular/biochemical characterization of transgenic plants. The trait integration effort is coupled with gene discovery research, conducted in cooperation with many of the world’s technology leaders including Monsanto, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, USDA/ARS, Agriculture Canada and Simplot Plant Sciences.

Forage Genetics International is Monsanto’s exclusive partner in developing biotechnology as it applies to alfalfa improvement. Working with Monsanto and Montana State University, FGI has developed Roundup Ready® (RR) alfalfa. RR alfalfa shows excellent tolerance to Roundup® herbicide. RR alfalfa and Roundup will provide improved weed control, increased flexibility in timing of herbicide application, reduced phytotoxicity, and/or increased safety compared with alternative weed control strategies. Application has been made for deregulation in the U.S., Japan, Canada and Mexico. Commercialization of Roundup Ready alfalfa in the U.S. will begin immediately following U.S. deregulation. Roundup Ready alfalfa varieties will be available for all major dormancy classes, and in several major seed brands. Other on-going biotech projects at FGI include:

• Increased forage yield through a number of possible mechanisms
• Improved forage quality through reduced lignin content
• Improved efficiency of protein utilization through increased rumen undegradable protein (RUP)
• Elimination of bloat risk from grazing alfalfa