COLLECTION, CONSERVATION AND EVALUATION FOR FORAGE YIELD OF ALFALFA LANDRACES GROWN IN EAST ANATOLIA

Abstract

This study was conducted to collect, evaluate and conserve alfalfa landraces grown in Van province, East Anatolia in 2009-2011. Ten counties were visited and 66 alfalfa landraces were collected. The seed samples were sent to Aegean Agricultural Research Institute for long term conservation. With other 4 populations collected from university campus, a total of 70 alfalfa accessions with seven standards (controls) were grown in an augmented trial design with 5 replicates. Cultivar Elci had the highest green and dry matter yields. There was a great variability between landraces in terms of the characters recorded. Green, dry matter and crude protein yields of landraces were in the range of 24.67-103.21 t ha-1, 6.04-24.26 t ha-1, and 1.07-4.96 t ha-1, respectively. Landraces collected from Ercis and Gevas appeared to have high green and dry matter yields.