LOTUS spp: BIOTECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE BIOECONOMY OF LOWLANDS IN THE SALADO RIVER BASIN (ARGENTINA)

Abstract

The Salado River Basin region is the most important livestock breeding area inArgentina, wherethe Lotus species has been traditionally cultivated as forages.Nearly 60% of their land surface is dominated by salt-affected soils with severeconstraints for crop cultivation. In order to cope with that limitation, farmers haveutilized species such as non-native L. tenuis (ex- Lotus glaber), which shows a verygood adaptation. As a result, inter-seeding of L. tenuis has been proposed as astrategy of choice for improving forage production in marginal areas. The increasein soil quality by these means is achieved by an increment of the organic mattercontent, improvement of soil fertility as well as microbial biodiversity. Thus, theintroduction of L. tenuis and/or other Lotus genotypes could have enormousbenefits for similar constrained lands around the world. We are developing anintegrated analysis of the changes that occur in soils under legume production. Wewill not only analyze the microbial diversity associated, but also soil physical andchemical characteristics and the impact of different legume-microbes associationon mitigation of GHG emissions. In addition, we are identifying the main geneticdeterminants associated with interesting agronomic traits such as plant toleranceagainst biotic and abiotic stresses and the content of condensed tannins. Our futureand present research will build a solid base for the improvement of agronomicallyimportantspecies and the development of better strategies for the management ofconstrained lands such as the lowlands in the Argentinean Pampas.