Alfalfa breeding for the foothill zone of the RSO — Alania

Alfalfa occupies a leading position among the crops used for obtaining renewable sources of protein and energy-saturated feed, as well as a mean of biological reclamation of agricultural land, preservation and improvement of soil fertility. The aim of the research is to study the economically valuable characteristics of various varieties of alfalfa to local soil and climatic conditions in terms of seed productivity and feed value. Promising varieties that combine high feed and seed productivity have been identified. According to the indicators of seed productivity, the alfalfa variety Lada was distinguished. In this variety, the indicators of green mass, dry matter and seed productivity are most successfully combined. The Lada variety surpassed the other varieties in seed productivity, the formation of beans with a large number of seeds by 7–9%. In the average of three years, the number of stems per 1 m2 was distinguished by the varieties Lada and Vega 87 — 110–120 pcs/m2. In these varieties, the number of internodes was 18 pieces, and in the standard Nakhodka — 14 pieces. In terms of the number of stems, 2 samples significantly exceeded the standard: Lada and Pastbischnaya 88. According to the yield of green mass and leafiness, the varieties of alfalfa Lada and Ve-ga 87 outperformed other varieties by 5–7%. In the future of our research, the selected varieties will be used to form new varieties.