Determination of Yield and Quality Parameters of Different Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Populations in Muş Ecological Conditions

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the yield and quality characteristics of different alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) genotypes under the conditions of Özdilek village in the central district of Muş province. Ten populations collected from different locations of Muş province were used as seed material. Plant height, number of main stems, number of cuttings, number of lateral branches on the main shoot, flowering time, number of days, winter hardiness, ratio of green herbage to dry hay, green herbage yield, the yield of dry grass, the acid detergent fiber, the neutral detergent fiber, the acid detergent lignin, the crude protein ratio, the crude protein yield, the digestible dry matter yield, the percentage of digestible dry matter and the relative feed value were examined. The mean flowering time varied between 111.33 and 125.33 days among the genotypes, while the main stem length varied between 62.95 cm (population 8) and 114.65 cm (population 4). The highest yield of green grass was 5032 kg ha-1 (population 9) and the lowest was 3950 kg ha-1 (population 7). The crude protein content varied between 20.70% (population 2) and 24.09% (population 5). Genotypes 1, 9 and 10 showed superior characteristics in terms of yield and quality and have the potential to be used in future breeding studies. This study provides important insights for alfalfa cultivation in the Eastern Anatolia region and to address the feed deficit. © 2024, Institute of Economic Development and Social Researches. All rights reserved.