Prioritisation of novel pasture species for use in water-limited agriculture: a case study of Cullen in the Western Australian wheatbelt
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-12-2010
Journal Title
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution
ISSN
Print: 0925-9864 Electronic: 1573-5109
Keywords
Australian native plants, climate change, climate niche modelling, Cullen, DOMAIN, novel crops, perennial pasture legumes, selection
Disciplines
Agronomy and Crop Sciences
Abstract
In the face of a drying climate, identification of perennial pasture species suited to low-rainfall agricultural areas is needed. Effective prioritisation of putative pasture species may be possible through the use of desktop methods that are commonly employed to investigate the effect of climate change on native plant populations or the weed risk potential of plants. Species of Cullen Medik. native to Australia may be useful as perennial pasture legumes. It is not known, however, if species have adaptations for growth in low rainfall regions like the wheatbelt of Western Australia (WA). We tested the hypothesis that some Cullen species would be adapted to the climate and soils of the low-rainfall wheatbelt of WA using an analysis of soils and climate niche models of herbarium and germplasm records of 16 perennial, herbaceous and Australian Cullen species. We identified nine Cullen species that had some likely adaptation to the climate in the wheatbelt of WA, five of which (C. australasicum, C. cinereum, C. discolor, C. patens and C. tenax) had widespread adaptation to the climate and showed some adaptation to the soils of the wheatbelt of WA, making these priorities for further evaluation as perennial pasture species. The methodology is useful to identify species with likely best adaptation to low rainfall regions, generate expectations of where these may be most successful and to identify gaps in existing germplasm collections.
Recommended Citation
Bennett, R.G., Ryan, M.H., Colmer, T.D. et al. Prioritisation of novel pasture species for use in water-limited agriculture: a case study of Cullen in the Western Australian wheatbelt. Genet Resour Crop Evol 58, 83–100 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-010-9567-3
