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Influence of Drought on Tillering and Internode Number and Length in Alfalfa¹

‘Vernal’ and ‘Sonora’ alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants were grown from seed in the greenhouse under two soil water levels, 49 and 100% field capacity as defined. Vegetation of the primary growth was harvested at the vegetative, 5 to 10% bloom, and seed pod stages. Top growth was again harvested when the regrowth was at 5 to 10% bloom. ‘Travois’ and ‘Lahontan’ were included in a subsequent experiment and were harvested only at the 5 to 10% bloom stage of the primary and recovery growth.

Stem number per plant, number of internodes per stem, and individual internode length of the primary stem were greatly reduced by water deficits (49% field capacity) for all cultivars at each harvest. The cold-hardy cultivars, Travois and Vernal, had significantly more internodes per stem under both soil water levels than the nonhardy cultivars, Lahontan and Sonora. Length of the internode between the unifoliolate and first trifoliolate leaves on the primary stem of Travois and Vernal under both soil water levels was significantly less than that of Lahontan and Sonora. The pattern of morphological differences among hardy and nonhardy cultivars was the same with or without drought stress.

Key Words: Regrowth • Morphology • Growth Stage • Winter hardiness

² Former Research Assistant (now Assistant Professor of Agronomy, University of Nebraska) and former Associate Professor, (now Professor of Agronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201). North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102.

Received for publication January 17, 1974.

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