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Registration of Varieties and Strains of Alfalfa, VI 1
Author(s) -
Hanson Clarence H.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1961.00021962005300060013x
Subject(s) - standardization , memorandum , library science , division (mathematics) , political science , agronomy , mathematics , computer science , biology , law , arithmetic
Teton was released by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in 1958. It is a four-clone synthetic derived from a hybrid population of the surviving open-pollinated descendents of an interspecific cross of Medicago sativa L. (S.P.I. 20711) and M. falcata L. (S.P.I. 24455) made at Brookings, South Dakota, in 1914 by N. E. Hansen. M. W. Adams made the first selections from this population in 1949. Selection for resistance to bacterial wilt and common leaf spot, low wide crown development, vegetative vigor, and seed production was practiced during two subsequent generations of intercrossing and progeny testing. The four clones retained, C-639 (S.D. H2-1), C-640 (S.D. H2-5), C-641 (S.D. H2-7), and C-642 (S.D. H2-8), were incorporated to form the Teton synthetic. Teton is more winter hardy than any other alfalfa variety now grown in South Dakota. It is resistant or moderately resistant to bacterial wilt, common leaf spot, yellow leaf blotch, alfalfa rust, Phoma blackstem, and Fusarium spp., but is susceptible to cercospora and pseudoplea leaf spots and to attack by the spotted alfalfa aphid. First-cutting forage yields of Teton equalled those of Ladak and Vernal in South Dakota. However, the moderate dormancy of Teton following cutting and in the fall reduces the total annual forage yields somewhat below those of the better hay varieties. Teton is believed to be best adapted for use as the legume component of pasture mixtures. Its attributes of superior cold and disease resistance, coupled with a decumbent habit of growth and aggressive rhizome production, favor persistence under continuous grazing by all classes of livestock. The associated factor of moderate dormancy following harvest reduces its utility as a hay variety in areas where two or more cuttings of alfalfa are obtained. Breeder seed of Teton consists of the first generation naturally interpollinated seed obtained from isolated vegetative increases of the four parental clones. The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station maintains the parental clones and produces the breeder seed. In I960 there were 550 and 338 acres in foundation and certified seed production fields, respectively, within the state. Application for registration was submitted and information on the origin, history, and performance was supplied by M. D. Rumbaugh and G. Semeniuk. Additional information is available (1).