CONCLUSIONS FROM THE WORKSHOP - FORAGE GENETIC-RESOURCES - MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF INDUSTRY

The Workshop, Forage Genetic Resources: Meeting the Requirements of In dustry, was held near Brisbane on June 3-4, 1996. The Workshop was hos ted by the Australian Tropical Forages Genetic Resource Centre and bro ught together ATFGRC scientists and their clients and stakeholders. Cl ients included scientists involved with cultivar development and repre sentatives from funding agencies; and stakeholders included representa tives from the grazing and pasture seeds industries, and ecologists an d weeds specialists concerned with environmental issues.Proceedings of the Workshop are summarised briefly and conclusions based on discussi ons between ATFGRC scientists and their clients are listed. There is a continuing need for the Centre and there are opportunities for develo pment of further forage cultivars, especially for niche situations. Th e selection process in the future should pay greater attention to thos e attributes which are associated with the potential of forage plants to develop into weeds. This should reduce the likelihood of new cultiv ars developing into agricultural, amenity or environmental weeds. Fund ing for further cultivar development is likely to be more readily avai lable for research which combines off-shore and on-shore benefits, at least in the short to medium term. Another focus is likely to be in de veloping summer-growing ley legumes, to counteract fertility decline a ssociated with cropping in the Australian tropics and subtropics.