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A Serological Study of Medicago sativa L. Varieties¹

Certified seed of Medicago sativa L. ‘Atlantic,’ ‘Cayuga,’ ‘Culver,’ ‘DuPuits,’ ‘Haymor,’ ‘Narragansett,’ ‘Orchies,’ ‘Vernal,’ and ‘Warrior’ were utilized in this study to investigate the possibility of employing serological methods for the identification of M. sativa varieties.

Specific serological tests appear to be sufficiently definite for the identification of seed protein phenotypes. The results indicate that it is possible to identify nine varieties and to distinguish one from another. At this time, the basis of this intervarietal variation cannot be entirely ascribed to either genetic or environmental components, since both have been shown to influence protein content in other plants and animals; thus, a combination of genetic and environmental components may also be responsible for the diversifications displayed by Medicago sativa varieties. This method of seed identification, if proven to hold over the entire spectra of varietal seed, will offer a relatively fast and inexpensive means for identifying seed. The extreme economy of materials and time is of real advantage in any analysis, but especially so in this type of testing for varietal purity.

² Graduate Research Assistant in Genetics; Associate Professor of Genetics; and Associate Professor of Microbiology.

Received for publication April 28, 1966.