Developing improved cultivars of forage legumes for Texas requires evaluation and selection in diverse environments and input from many scientific disciplines. Each new cultivar depends on a team of research partners to advance from breeding lines to experimental cultivars to seed production to multi-location testing to cultivar release.
The forage legume breeding program focuses on development of new cultivars with superior traits, including: pest resistance; high yield; improved seed production; high hard-seed percentage and reliable reseeding; reduction of anti-quality compounds; and adaptation to Texas soil and climate conditions.