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University of Wyoming

UW Technologies Available for Licensing


Technology  Disclosure: 04-061 Novel Medic Variety: Laramie®


Dryland cropping systems on the Central High Plains still include a fallow period that diminishes economic and ecological sustainability. Although the 14-month fallow period associated with the traditional winter wheat-summer fallow system has guaranteed successful wheat seedling establishment, the system is notoriously inefficient. Adverse effects of a fallow period include lower profit potential, decreased soil organic matter, declining soil fertility, inefficient use of the water resource, root zone leaching of nutrients, soil erosion, air pollution, and surface and groundwater pollution.

Integrating crops from different ecosystems might solve these problems by partially or completely replacing the fallow period while still providing for good winter wheat establishment. In addition, more intensive crop rotations might increase returns, reduce overall, long-term financial risk, and decrease erosion. Dryland cropping systems and livestock practices are climatic zone-specific; so, there is a need to identify and develop appropriate forage/cereal/livestock systems that fit the natural resource base.

In Australian “ley farming” systems, annual legume pastures profitably and ecologically integrate cereal crop and livestock production to form the foundation for flexible and sustainable semi-arid land farming systems. Medic (annual Medicago spp.) pasture alternates with wheat in much of semi-arid southern Australia. Annual medics regenerate yearly from a soil seed bank, and in the pasture phase of the cropping sequence provide forage for sheep and cattle that are then left to produce seed to replenish the seed bank. In the cereal phase of the cycle, regenerating medics may briefly furnish forage before seedbed preparation for planting wheat or barley. Today, annual medics are the principal legume component on more than 50 million acres in the “wheat-sheep” zone of Southern Australia where they have largely replaced fallow to provide myriad benefits to Australian agriculture.

The numerous benefits of annual medics include:

• more profitable cereal production
• high-quality livestock forage
• self-regenerating pastures from a soil seed bank
• integrated pest management
• reduced fertilizer inputs
• increased plant and field water use efficiency
• improved air and water quality
• soil conservation and improved soil quality
• no need for strip farming for more efficient use of large machinery and fencing
• potential global benefit of C-sequestration as related to the higher primary productivity of ley farming and reduced soil organic matter oxidation relative to fallow systems

Researchers at the University of Wyoming have brought over from Australia the first winter annual “ley” species adapted for the Central High Plains. After extensive evaluations of a diverse range of medic genotypes, it was determined that this variety, called Laramie®, is a promising candidate for winter annual regenerative pasture on the Central High Plains. This variety was found to carry the required winter seedling survival, seed hardiness, and softening pattern for the Central High Plains environment. An especially valuable characteristic of this variety is that it is effectively nodulated by readily available nitrogen-fixing microbes commonly used by alfalfa.

Please be sure to review the accompanying ASA Evaluation document that describes the agronomic performance of our Laramie® brand medic variety.

Laramie® brand medic is available for licensing. The University of Wyoming has conducted studies that elucidate the potential of Laramie® brand medic as the first winter annual “ley” species adapted for the Central High Plains. If your company is interested in licensing Laramie® brand medic, please contact the director of University of Wyoming technology licensing, Davona Douglass at (307) 766-2520 or email dkdoug@uwyo.edu. In your proposal please include information about sales projections, distribution plans, and location of certified seed production, as well as a discussion of royalties and fees.