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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #138113
Title: COMPARING YIELD AND FORAGE QUALITY OF ALFALFA CULTIVARS RELEASED FROM THE 1940'S THROUGH THE 1990'S

Author
item Lamb, Joann
item SHEAFFER, CRAIG - UNIV OF MINNESOTA
item ST. AMAND, PAUL - KANSAS STATE UNIV
item BRUMMER, E - IOWA STATE UNIV
item RHODES, LANDON - OHIO STATE UNIV
item SULC, MARC - OHIO STATE UNIV
item UNDERSANDER, DANIEL - UNIV OF WISCONSIN

Submitted to: North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/28/2002
Publication Date: 11/2/2002
Citation: LAMB, J.F., SHEAFFER, C.C., ST. AMAND, P.C., BRUMMER, E.C., RHODES, L.H., SULC, M., UNDERSANDER, D.J. COMPARING YIELD AND FORAGE QUALITY OF ALFALFA CULTIVARS RELEASED FROM THE 1940'S THROUGH THE 1990'S. NORTH AMERICAN ALFALFA IMPROVEMENT CONFERENCE. 2002. ABSTRACT. P. 79.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Research reports have implied that forage yield in alfalfa varieties has slightly declined between the years of 1978 and 1996. Our objective was to compare varieties released during the past five decades side by side in yield trials at five locations across the Midwest to test whether yield in alfalfa has truly declined. Two varieties were chosen from each of the past five decades by examining the annually published Central Alfalfa Improvement Conference Variety Trial data. At least three consecutive production year averages for each variety at Rosemount, MN, Ames, IA, Arlington, WI, and Manhattan, KS, were used to select the varieties representative of the past five decades. Ten varieties, two from each of the previous five decades, four more recently released varieties, and two check varieties were compared for yield and forage quality in a randomized complete block design at five locations. Experiments were established in the spring of 1999 at Ames, IA, Manhattan, KS, Rosemount, MN, Columbus, OH, and Arlington, WI. Forage was harvested three to four times in 2000 and 2001, depending on the location. Simple correlations between decade of varietal release and forage yield were r=0.86 (P<0.01) in 2000 and r=0.97 (P<0.01) in 2001. Regression analyses showed greater forage yield from alfalfa varieties released in more recent decades. These results suggest that in production year stands of alfalfa, forage yield has increased during the past five decades. Sub-samples for forage quality analyses were harvested twice in both 2000 and 2001 at three of the locations. Crude protein content has not changed among varieties released during the past five decades.