Genetic Variability of the Most Important Traits in Alfalfa Cultivars Under Lithuanian Conditions

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important perennial legume for animal feeding. A basic requirement for the successful breeding of this species is variability of the initial material. The collection under study consisted of 37 cultivars of different origin. The current study aimed to determine the genetic variability of the most important traits, including disease resistance, seed yield, fresh and dry matter yield, plant height during spring regrowth and at flowering stage and stem density. The statistical analysis of the data (ANOVA) revealed significant variability among the cultivars for all traits investigated. The highest variability was found for the seed yield (46.5%), while the lowest one (5.9%) was estimated for resistance to spring black stem and leaf spot. A cluster analysis was used to graphically illustrate the genetic diversity of alfalfa cultivars. The high level of genetic variability among the alfalfa cultivars in this collection highlights their potential for being used in the future breeding schemes.