Fig. 5. Effect of October defoliation on alfalfa (A) winter injury and (B) spring height. One half of plants in each plot were defoliated in October. Winter injury and spring height were assessed in April. Winter injury ratings are weighted means based on mid-April observations of 20 to 30 plants using the following scoring scale: 1 = no injury, 2 = injured plant, and 3 = dead plant. Included in the study were the dormant cultivars ‘53Q60’ (Q60) and ‘54H69’ (H69), the nondormant cultivar ‘5939’, and three semidormant germplasms: 96P51PSI (P51), Z57NO2 (NO2), and 96P55PSI (P55). Error bars represent one standard error of the mean (n = 8). Exp. 2.