IMPROVING FORAGE CROPS FOR SEMIARID AREAS

In semi-arid areas, forage crops for grazing are suitable for extensiv e, marginal lands because they can sustain competitive meat or milk pr oduction, they protect against soil erosion risks, and they can form t he basis of an alternative sustainable agriculture. Drought is the mai n limiting factor to plant growth in these lands, seriously affecting total herbage production and seasonal availability of forage. Recent r esearch work looking for new cultivars of some annual self-reseeding p asture crops (annual rye grass, lupin and subterranean clover) with an enhanced capacity for herbage or seed production under water stress, has demonstrated the difficulties in obtaining new cultivars of well a dapted crops with substantial yield improvement under drought conditio ns. New management strategies for improving pasture availability for g razing and self-reseeding ability have been tested (also at farm level ) showing clear possibilities for enhancement of herbage production an d a more regular seasonal distribution in drought-prone environments.