ABSTRACT
Summary The use of genetic resources of forage species poses some special problems because of the number of species involved, the inadequacy of our knowledge about them, the fact that they are often used in combination and should be evaluated in terms of livestock product, and so on. Collections should be as comprehensive as possible at the outset of improvement programs; otherwise, there may be much use of inferior material and much waste of time and effort. Most of the forage species in use come from (1) Europe (excluding Mediterranean zones), (2) Mediterranean Basin and Near East, (3) African savannas (mostly tropical grasses), and (4) tropical America (mostly tropical legumes). They tend to be members of grazing subclimax or plants with weedy or colonizer habits. 30Utilization strategies depend on stage of development of research programs: (a) useful species are introduced unintentionally; (b) a range of materials is assembled, tested, and selected entries used; (c) a breeding program is developed using extensive hybridization to identify elite parents; (d) a full-scale team is developed with pathologists, entomologists, biochemists, animal scientists, soil scientists, and so on. Such teams are unlikely to develop in the Third World without international cooperation. International cooperation should be encouraged, and the logical coordinator at the present time is the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources.
