Wednesday, Feb 7th at 3 p.m. CST

Connection details: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16141396271 646-828-7666; ID: 161 4139 6271

Abstract: Alfalfa is widely used as a forage in dairy production. The stems are rich in polysaccharides that could be a great source of energy if they were more digestible. UDP-xylose synthase, involved in the synthesis of the cell wall polysaccharide xylan, is an attractive target for improving cell wall digestibility. We have identified alfalfa genes (uxs) encoding this enzyme and generated transgenic alfalfa with uxs expression levels altered to assess the impact on the cell wall composition and digestibility. Madison and Marshfield, WI