Abstract
A nusery of diverse alfalfa populations was attacked by the seed chalcid Bruchophagus roddi Gussakovsky, with 397 of a sample of 30 821 pods possessing emergent adults. Infestation increased as spiraling of the pod decreased. Legume coiling in alfalfa is an indication of the relative parentage of ssp. sativa, which has highly coiled pods, and of ssp. falcata which has uncoiled pods. Resistance of coiled pods to chalcid infestation could reflect any of several of the differences between these subspecies. A hypothesis is presented arguing that resistance is due to pod coiling per se. Alfalfa seeds develop on the ventral portion of the pod, close to the central axis of coiled pods. Coiling may be protective as it tends to make the ventral portion of the pod, and hence the developing seeds, inaccessible to the chalcid’s short ovipositor.
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