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Variability in a Collection of Alfalfa Germplasm from Morocco

USDA-ARS, Forage and Ranch Research, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT 84322-6300
Univ. of California Coop. Ext. Serv., San Diego, CA 92123
Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK 74078
Dep. of Plant Sci., Utah State Univ., Logan, UT 84322

^* Corresponding author.

It is expensive to incorporate extensive collections of exotic plant germplasm into breeding programs directed toward the improvement of quantitatively inherited agronomic traits. A pooling of accessions based on similarity of geographic origin or on a high degree of phenotypic resemblance in early screening trials would reduce these expenses. Our objective was to determine whether or not such a procedure was possible with a recent alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) germplasm collection from Morocco. A collection of 146 accessions of alfalfa from Morocco was evaluated for 28 traits measured in greenhouse and field experiments. Each accession was assigned to one of five landraces defined by the geographic regions in which the accessions were collected. Seventy-eight percent of the assignments were valid as judged by discriminant analysis. Accessions from two of the regions were. distinctly different from each other and from those of the other three regions which were quite similar. Spotted alfalfa aphid [Therioaphis maculata (Buckton)] resistance and germination in 1.2 S m^–1 NaCl solution were the two most important discriminating variables. Accessions with high levels of insect resistance were obtained only in the Atlanticoastal region and are believed to be recently introduced cultivars. Alfalfa breeders selecting for quantitatively inherited adaptive traits could pool the accessions to form five or fewer populations with little risk of significantly decreasing the variability.

Key Words: Acyrthosiphon kondoi (Shinji) • Discriminant functions • Blue alfalfa aphid • Insects • Medicago sativa • Plant introduction • Salinity • Spotted alfalfa aphid • Therioaphis maculata (Buckton)

Received for publication August 13, 1987.