YIELD IMPROVEMENT AND FALL DORMANCY CHARACTERIZATION IN ALFALFACHARACTERIZATION IN ALFALFA

January 2016El Centro, CA

Scott Newell1, Gitanshu Munjal1, Daniel Putnam1,2, Steve Orloff2, Daniel Undersander3, Julie Hansen4, Donald Viands4, and E. Charles Brummer1

1University of California, Davis; 2University of California Cooperative Extension; 3University of Wisconsin, Madison; 4Cornell University

Objectives1 Compare fall dormancy measurements in spaced vs sward plots

Objective 1

1. Compare fall dormancy measurements in spaced vs. sward plots2. Evaluate yield gain from genomic selection (to be planted in 2017)

• Can dormancy be estimated from small sward plots similarly to the standard spaced‐plant test?E t bli h d b th d l t d d• Established both spaced plant and sward plots in 2015 in five locs.

★★

★ ★

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October 2015, Tulelake, CA

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Methods–Natural plant height of check 

l atio

ns Spaced

cultivars was square root transformed, normalized, and regressed against FDR.

–Done independently for standard ss A

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ca

Done independently for standard test spaced plants and sward plots.

–Regression model was used to  eans

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predict FDR of all cultivars in each trial.

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lot M

e

Sward

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ze

November 2015, Davis, CA

Standard Checks Others

St

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Standard Checks Others

Predicted Fall Dormancy of Cultivars in Spaced vs. Sward Trials

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cted

Fed

-pla

nt P

Standard Check CultivarsOther Cultivars

Spa

ce

Other Cultivars

Sward Plot Predicted FD

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Sward Plot Predicted FD

Conclusions

• Across five locations, the FD predictions from sward trials l l i th f th t d d t t ( d l t )closely mirror those from the standard test (spaced‐plants).

• Further analysis will look at location differences and theFurther analysis will look at location differences and the necessity of using all standard checks in sward plots to get acceptable ratings.

• Sward plot trials would need to address seed quantities of standard checksstandard checks.

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