Theme 13: Plant Improvement
Description
From April 1995 to June 1998, thirty five alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars (cvs.) were evaluated in a field trial at the “Depressão Central” ecoclimatic region, in southern Brazil. Two years after sowing, 30 cultivars were excluded from the test due to their poor overall agronomic performance, mainly low forage DM yields. The remaining cultivars: Crioula (local genotype used as a check), Victoria, Rio and P 30 are hay-type cultivars while Alfagraze is a grazing-tolerant type. Twenty-two harvests were made and no significant differences were found for total DM yields among cvs. Crioula, Victoria, Rio and P 30; however, cv. Crioula yielded 25,854 kg.ha-1, showing a significant (P< 0.05) superior performance compared to cv. Alfagraze (17,478 kg.ha-1). The highest average annual and seasonal DM yields were obtained by cv. Crioula and spring was the best growing season. Cv. Alfagraze showed the highest crude protein content and leaf to stem ratio. Incidence of foliar diseases was low, affecting all cultivars similarly. Cv. Victoria showed the lowest stand persistence. Alfalfa root density did not differ among cultivars and the highest average value was found at the 0-10 cm topsoil layer. Results indicate that cvs. Crioula and Alfagraze are well-adapted, productive and persistent alfalfa genotypes for hay production and grazing, respectively, under the soil and climatic conditions of the “Depressão Central” region.
Citation
de Saibro, J. C.; Battisti, R.; and Freitas, T. M. S., "Agronomic Evaluation of Alfalfa Cultivars in Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil" (2021). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 8.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/19/13/8
Included in
Agronomic Evaluation of Alfalfa Cultivars in Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
From April 1995 to June 1998, thirty five alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars (cvs.) were evaluated in a field trial at the “Depressão Central” ecoclimatic region, in southern Brazil. Two years after sowing, 30 cultivars were excluded from the test due to their poor overall agronomic performance, mainly low forage DM yields. The remaining cultivars: Crioula (local genotype used as a check), Victoria, Rio and P 30 are hay-type cultivars while Alfagraze is a grazing-tolerant type. Twenty-two harvests were made and no significant differences were found for total DM yields among cvs. Crioula, Victoria, Rio and P 30; however, cv. Crioula yielded 25,854 kg.ha-1, showing a significant (P< 0.05) superior performance compared to cv. Alfagraze (17,478 kg.ha-1). The highest average annual and seasonal DM yields were obtained by cv. Crioula and spring was the best growing season. Cv. Alfagraze showed the highest crude protein content and leaf to stem ratio. Incidence of foliar diseases was low, affecting all cultivars similarly. Cv. Victoria showed the lowest stand persistence. Alfalfa root density did not differ among cultivars and the highest average value was found at the 0-10 cm topsoil layer. Results indicate that cvs. Crioula and Alfagraze are well-adapted, productive and persistent alfalfa genotypes for hay production and grazing, respectively, under the soil and climatic conditions of the “Depressão Central” region.
