YIEDS OF ALFALFA VARIETIES WITH DIFFERENT FALL DORMANCY LEVELS IN NORTHEAST CHINA

Abstract

Fall dormancy (FD) is an important indicator of winter hardiness in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the relationship between FD and the yield potential of alfalfa varieties were investigated to survey annual dry matter (DM) yields with FD levels in the northeast regions with cold winters. During three consecutive years, all varieties of five FD levels survived over the winter without any persistency problems and there were no differences in annual DM yields of varieties among FD levels. Among the same FD varieties, DM yields for some of the dormant, semi-dormant and non-dormant varieties were found no correlated with FD levels. In conclusion, it suggests that different FD levels no effected on yields of alfalfa in the cold regions, such as North-east China.