Project Number: 6440-21310-002-05
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Mar 05, 2007
End Date: Dec 31, 2009

Objective:
The objective of this project is to investigate influences of forages on energy regulation in the ruminant. Use genomic and proteomic techniques to identify candidate genes and gene products associated with increased efficiency of grazing animal growth and health characteristics. Further, this project is to determine the role of the interaction of forage systems, insects, pathogens, and weather on maintenance of pregnancy in mares. This project will also determine genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic factors involved in forage plant persistence, quality and production having effects on forage-animal production.

Approach:
Multidisciplinary teams will develop and refine methodolgies to examine energy partitioning and composition of tissue accretion in ruminants. Research will define the identification, quantification, and elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites involved in forage quality. Proteomic analyses will identify a range of plant products that will form the basis of characterizing forages that enhance animal health and performance. Further, teams will examine the roles of pasture management, eastern tent caterpillars and endophyte-infected tall fescue on maintenance of pregnancy in grazing mares.