Efficacy of progeny tests in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) breeding for yield and quality

Alfalfa is one of the most important forage crops in the world and it is spread across the globe on over 30 million hectares. The objectives of this study were to assess the importance and effectiveness of progeny tests used in alfalfa breeding for dry matter yield and crude protein content and to determine which of these tests provides the best information for choosing parental components to improve the success of alfalfa breeding. The experiment tested 35 alfalfa genotypes of different geographic and genetic origin. The rank correlations obtained in our study indicate that open pollination and self pollination progeny tests are effective tools for evaluating alfalfa parents for dry matter yield and crude protein content, respectively. Alfalfa breeding for improved quality can be effective if crosses are made between genetically divergent populations in order to produce hybrid combinations that will be used as donors of genes for quality in the development of new synthetic cultivars, all the while making sure that yield is maintained as an essential factor in alfalfa breeding.