Legume Research

  • Chief EditorJ. S. Sandhu

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Legume Research, volume 41 issue 3 (june 2018) : 369-373

Assessment of yield and quality characteristics of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars with different fall dormancy rating

Mustafa Avci, Rüºtü Hatipoglu, Selahattin Çinar, Numan Kiliçalp
1Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Faculty of Plant Productions and Technology, Nigde, Turkey.
  • Submitted26-04-2017|

  • Accepted15-07-2017|

  • First Online 07-10-2017|

  • doi 10.18805/LR-364

Cite article:- Avci Mustafa, Hatipoglu Rüºtü, Çinar Selahattin, Kiliçalp Numan (2017). Assessment of yield and quality characteristics of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars with different fall dormancy rating. Legume Research. 41(3): 369-373. doi: 10.18805/LR-364.
This research was conducted to determine performances of seven alfalfa cultivars with different fall dormancy rates in terms of dry matter yield and some quality parameters under Mediterranean conditions throughout the years of 2007-2009. In the study, cultivars were evaluated for dry matter yield (DMY), leaf/stem ratio (LSR), crude protein (CP) content, crude protein yield (CPY), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), digestible dry matter (DDM) content  and relative feed value (RFV). According to average of two year results, there were significant differences among alfalfa cultivars in terms of all characters studied. Mean DMY, LSR, contents of CP, ADF, NDF, DDM and RFV were determined as 18.147 t ha-1, 0.82, 17.4 %, 41.0 %, 49.0 %, 56.9 % and 114. The highest DMY averaged over two years was obtained from cultivar Nimet while lowest one was obtained from Magnum 5. As a dormant cultivar, Magnum 5 was superior in terms of LSR and CP content to the other alfalfa cultivars and it was lower in ADF and NDF content than the others. It was concluded that cultivar Nimet   with the highest DMY and CPY yields can be recommended as a non-dormant cultivar for farmers in regions of Turkey with the Mediterranean climate. 
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