Breeding of alfalfa

Breeding of alfalfa
(Medicago sativa L.)

Despite the significant decrease of the production area of alfalfa, it is still the most important leguminous forage crop of Hungary. The economic nature of its cultivation essentially depends on the ecological and technological adaptation ability and tolerance, persistence and annual dry matter production of the grown variety. The advantage of the 4 alfalfa varieties (Kisvárdai 1, Hunor-40, Jozsó, Klaudia) produced on the Kisvárda plant of the Nyíregyháza Research Institute is that their breeding and maintenance were carried out under ecological conditions that are unfavourable for the alfalfa: on acidic, low-humus sandy soils. In addition to the breeding work, natural selection has shaped them for more than 60 years, resulting in their extraordinary adaptability. In the course of our variety maintenance activities, our main objectives are to preserve favourable genetic variability and to maintain the excellent persistence of our varieties through seed collection from older plants

The aim of our alfalfa breeding is to produce new varieties, which have a long life cycle and good frost and drought tolerance, excellent yield potential, favourable stem and leaf ratio, high protein yield and good overall resistance.

Our candidates that comply with our objectives are produced through the method of polycross breeding.

Legutóbbi frissítés: 2023. 02. 28. 15:04