Non-dormant alfalfa cultivars

Alfalfa production in Georgia offers producers a significant profit potential through selling hay, or by grazing or conserving the surplus as haylage. The UGA Center for Applied Genetic Technologies is pursuing several complementary approaches to develop elite alfalfa cultivars and implement a pipeline for continued development and release of alfalfa germplasm adapted to the Southeast. They completed testing six advanced experimental populations for regional performance and potential release to growers. Two populations of dormancy exceeded all the commercial check cultivars in performance as pure stand or in burmudagrass mixtures. These will add values to options livestock producers have to improve their pastures and their income.