Forage quality profiling of pre-selected alfalfa genotypes: towards genetic enhancement and adaptation for arid dryland farming

This study addresses the challenge of arid conditions in drylands by focusing on fortifying the resilience of alfalfa within an ongoing varietal improvement initiative. The assessment encompasses five pre-selected alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) populations bred in The Institute of Arid Regions, Medenine (Tunisia). The primary objective is to formulate an alfalfa genetic pool that is optimized for breeders and farmers in arid regions and emphasizes chemical composition, biochemistry, in vitro digestibility (IVDMD), and relative feed value (RFV). Significant differences ( p