Alfalfa Variety Performance at Maricopa, 1999-2000
M. J. Ottman, S. E. Smith, D. M. Fendenheim, and M.T. Rogers
Introduction
Alfalfa varieties are being introduced into the marketplace at a record-setting pace. The number of varieties
available for low-elevation desert areas in Arizona in the non-dormant and very non-dormant class is about 44.
New varieties are introduced each year and unbiased yield comparisons are helpful to the grower to base the
decision of whether or not to sow a new variety. The study reported here is part of the on-going effort to evaluate
alfalfa variety performance in Arizona.
Procedure
Alfalfa varieties and experimentals (potential varieties being evaluated for future release) were compared in a field
study on a Casa Grande sandy loam soil on Field 107 at the Maricopa Agricultural Center near Maricopa, Arizona.
The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications and 46 entries. Seed was sown on
October 29, 1998 into five rows spaced 6 inches apart with a single row hand planter at a rate of 20 pounds of seed
per acre. The plots were 3 ft. wide by 12 ft. long. Irrigation water was applied the same day as planting to
germinate the seed. Irrigations of about 4 to 6 inches each were applied using the border flood method at an interval
of twice per cutting. The plots were cut with a sickle-bar mower, the forage was raked, placed on a tarp, and
weighed. The cutting interval at the peak of the season was every 4 weeks. The plots were subjected to insect
pressure from Egyptian alfalfa weevil, various aphids, alfalfa caterpillar, beet armyworm, and whitefly, but damage
from these pests was not severe enough to warrant chemical control. No herbicides or fertilizers were applied. The
data was analyzed using nearest neighbor analysis and least-squares means are reported. Least-squares means were
calculated for the annual totals and are not identical to the sum of the least-squares means of the individual harvests.
Discussion
Forage yields for the varieties tested are presented in Table 1. No general conclusions will be made from this study,
which is part of an ongoing effort to evaluate alfalfa variety performance in Arizona. This information is intended
to help growers decide whether or not to plant a new variety on a limited acreage on commercial farms. A new
variety should be planted on a larger acreage only after the variety has been evaluated on a smaller acreage under
farm-specific conditions.
Acknowledgments
Research on alfalfa at the University of Arizona is supported by ABI Alfalfa, Asgrow, Cal/West Seeds, Dairyland
Research International, Forage Genetics, Kamprath Seed Co., MBS Incorporated, S & W Seed, and W-L Research.
___________________________________
This is a part of the University of Arizona College of Agriculture 2001 Forage and Grain Report, index at:
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1254/
1
Table 1. Forage yield for alfalfa varieties and experimentals at Maricopa, AZ in 1999.
1999
Variety
Source
15-Apr
5-May
17-Jun
22-Jul
26-Aug 30-Sep
2-Dec
Total
----------------------------------- Forage yield (lbs/plot) -----------------------------------9L600
Aztec
Beacon
Coronado
CUF-101
CW 59128
CW 5965
CW 5991
CW 69117
CW 69120
DK 180ML
DK 191
Magna 901
DS 881
DS 882
FG98-1000
Lew
Magna 8
Maricopa
Mecca III
Mesa
SW 8730
SW 8816
SW 8829
SW 9500
SW 9601
SW 9720
SW 9800
UC-2524
UC-2598
UN 1718
WL 525HQ
WL 612
WL 711WF
WL 92296
WL C252
WL C345
XP3666
ZG 9891
ZS 9592
ZS 9890
ZX 9393
ZX 9699
ZX 9701
ZX 9791
ZX 9894
AVERAGE
CV (%)
LSD (5%)
Forage Genetics
Asgrow
Forage Genetics
Forage Genetics
Univ. CA
Cal/West
Cal/West
Cal/West
Cal/West
Cal/West
Kamprath
Kamprath
Dairyland
Dairyland
Dairyland
Forage Genetics
Univ. AZ
Dairyland
MBS Inc.
MBS Inc.
MBS Inc.
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
Univ. CA
Univ. CA
Forage Genetics
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
Asgrow
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
9.6
9.1
9.4
9.2
8.7
8.8
8.8
8.3
8.4
9.0
8.9
9.8
8.2
9.1
10.1
8.7
9.1
9.4
8.9
8.8
9.0
9.1
8.6
8.9
8.9
8.5
9.1
8.0
9.2
9.4
9.6
9.2
9.0
8.2
8.6
8.4
9.3
9.4
9.2
8.9
9.2
8.5
8.5
9.0
9.2
8.8
9.0
9.1
9.0
8.8
9.0
9.2
9.1
9.0
8.8
8.9
9.3
9.1
9.7
9.0
9.4
9.8
8.9
8.9
9.0
9.1
9.2
9.2
9.2
9.0
8.6
8.6
8.3
9.4
8.5
8.9
8.9
9.9
9.3
9.0
8.5
8.9
9.3
8.9
9.8
9.5
9.0
8.8
8.7
9.2
9.4
9.4
8.5
9.1
14.7
14.3
14.3
14.2
14.2
14.3
14.1
13.9
14.0
14.1
13.5
14.9
14.3
14.1
14.3
14.0
14.2
14.7
14.4
14.2
13.5
13.9
14.2
13.5
14.1
13.7
14.6
13.8
14.3
14.0
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.4
13.7
14.1
13.9
14.1
14.0
14.2
13.8
14.7
13.5
14.3
14.2
13.6
14.1
14.2
13.4
13.5
13.7
13.7
13.5
13.8
13.8
13.4
14.1
13.0
14.0
13.6
13.7
12.8
13.9
14.0
13.8
14.0
14.3
13.3
13.6
12.8
13.6
14.1
12.9
13.8
13.8
14.3
13.7
13.3
14.3
13.5
13.6
13.3
13.7
13.3
13.5
13.1
13.8
13.5
13.4
12.7
13.0
13.4
12.9
13.6
12.1
11.7
11.7
11.6
12.2
12.3
12.2
11.7
11.8
11.3
9.9
11.0
11.4
11.3
9.7
12.4
12.1
11.9
12.1
12.1
11.1
11.3
11.9
11.3
11.9
12.1
12.7
12.9
12.4
11.7
10.9
11.5
12.0
12.4
12.2
11.9
11.5
9.5
10.4
11.6
11.2
12.6
10.6
11.4
11.7
11.8
11.6
9.6
8.4
9.0
8.5
8.3
9.3
8.7
8.5
8.8
8.8
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.4
7.7
8.9
9.1
8.7
8.4
9.0
8.0
8.4
8.7
8.6
8.8
8.7
8.5
9.3
9.2
8.7
8.8
8.2
9.1
9.7
9.0
8.7
8.4
7.0
7.9
8.6
8.8
9.0
7.5
8.6
8.4
8.9
8.6
9.8
7.7
8.8
8.0
7.6
9.0
7.8
7.6
7.8
7.8
7.2
7.3
7.3
7.3
6.5
8.9
8.5
7.7
7.2
7.9
6.4
7.5
7.7
7.3
8.3
8.4
8.2
9.0
8.8
8.5
7.4
7.5
8.2
9.1
8.1
7.7
7.8
5.7
6.6
8.0
7.5
8.6
6.9
7.8
7.5
8.5
7.8
79.6
75.0
75.9
74.7
75.3
76.9
74.6
72.5
73.8
74.6
69.7
74.0
75.2
73.0
69.9
76.3
76.5
75.7
74.1
75.3
69.4
72.9
73.4
71.2
75.6
72.9
77.1
76.5
77.3
75.0
73.2
74.1
74.8
76.2
73.5
73.3
73.6
68.0
70.4
74.4
73.2
76.0
69.3
72.2
73.9
73.6
74.0
6.2
0.8
6.9
0.6
4.3
0.7
5.0
1.0
4.5
0.9
6.0
0.7
6.6
0.7
6.0
5.3
2
Table 1(cont’d). Forage yield for alfalfa varieties and experimentals at Maricopa, AZ in 2000.
2000
1999-00
Variety
Source
2-Mar 13-Apr 11-May 6-Jun 13-Jul 17-Aug 28-Sep 30-Nov Total Total
------------------------------- Forage yield (lbs/plot) ------------------------------- % CUF
9L600
Aztec
Beacon
Coronado
CUF-101
CW 59128
CW 5965
CW 5991
CW 69117
CW 69120
DK 180ML
DK 191
Magna 901
DS 881
DS 882
FG98-1000
Lew
Magna 8
Maricopa
Mecca III
Mesa
SW 8730
SW 8816
SW 8829
SW 9500
SW 9601
SW 9720
SW 9800
UC-2524
UC-2598
UN 1718
WL 525HQ
WL 612
WL 711WF
WL 92296
WL C252
WL C345
XP3666
ZG 9891
ZS 9592
ZS 9890
ZX 9393
ZX 9699
ZX 9701
ZX 9791
ZX 9894
AVERAGE
CV (%)
LSD (5%)
Forage Genetics
Asgrow
Forage Genetics
Forage Genetics
Univ. CA
Cal/West
Cal/West
Cal/West
Cal/West
Cal/West
Kamprath
Kamprath
Dairyland
Dairyland
Dairyland
Forage Genetics
Univ. AZ
Dairyland
MBS Inc.
MBS Inc.
MBS Inc.
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
S&W Seed
Univ. CA
Univ. CA
Forage Genetics
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
W-L Research
Asgrow
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
ABI Alfalfa
12.5
10.1
11.0
10.2
11.0
11.0
9.6
10.2
10.4
10.3
8.8
10.1
9.8
8.9
8.7
11.5
12.4
10.8
9.4
10.8
8.3
9.1
10.4
9.6
10.7
11.0
10.8
11.1
11.8
11.1
9.6
10.0
11.7
12.7
10.5
10.3
10.8
6.8
8.8
11.0
11.1
12.0
8.9
10.0
9.9
11.8
10.4
15.3
13.4
13.8
13.9
13.4
14.0
13.1
13.4
13.8
13.4
13.2
13.0
13.2
12.2
12.4
14.5
14.7
14.0
12.6
13.5
12.1
13.4
13.2
12.4
13.4
14.1
13.9
14.7
14.6
13.4
13.0
13.1
14.1
15.2
13.7
13.1
13.2
11.4
12.2
14.1
13.6
14.7
12.1
13.2
13.3
14.1
13.5
19.1
16.4
17.2
16.5
16.5
17.8
16.3
16.5
16.8
16.8
16.5
16.2
15.5
15.0
14.0
17.8
17.8
18.0
15.4
16.8
14.1
15.8
16.0
16.0
17.1
17.1
17.3
17.5
17.7
15.3
15.5
16.5
16.7
19.6
16.8
16.5
16.2
13.7
14.8
17.9
17.0
18.6
13.9
16.9
16.9
16.9
16.5
18.8
16.5
17.4
16.8
17.0
18.3
17.0
16.4
16.8
16.7
15.4
15.9
16.6
15.7
13.9
18.4
18.3
18.4
15.8
17.2
14.5
15.7
17.3
15.7
16.9
17.5
18.4
18.3
18.2
15.7
15.7
16.8
16.4
20.4
17.2
16.4
16.7
12.9
15.4
17.7
17.3
17.6
14.5
16.3
17.0
17.8
16.8
14.6
13.5
14.5
14.1
13.8
15.1
14.5
14.3
13.9
14.5
12.8
13.4
13.9
13.2
11.8
15.1
14.1
14.6
13.0
15.5
12.4
13.8
14.7
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.7
15.4
14.0
12.9
13.6
14.5
14.6
16.2
14.6
13.5
13.7
10.7
12.2
14.3
14.1
14.4
11.8
14.1
13.5
14.3
13.9
10.6
10.6
11.0
10.3
10.1
11.9
11.7
10.8
11.2
10.7
8.6
9.7
10.7
9.7
8.5
11.2
11.0
10.7
10.7
11.4
9.5
9.4
11.6
10.6
10.8
11.8
11.8
12.2
10.5
10.1
10.4
10.7
10.7
12.3
11.9
11.4
10.7
7.4
8.5
10.2
9.7
11.1
8.8
10.0
10.1
10.8
10.5
7.0
6.7
7.2
6.9
6.5
7.6
7.5
7.2
6.9
6.8
9.3
6.1
6.9
6.5
6.0
7.2
7.2
6.9
6.4
7.5
6.2
6.3
7.7
6.8
7.1
7.6
7.1
8.1
7.1
7.0
6.3
6.5
7.3
8.8
7.4
6.9
6.9
4.8
5.7
6.1
6.0
7.3
5.9
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.9
5.8
5.6
5.7
5.6
5.2
5.9
5.6
5.5
5.5
5.4
4.8
5.2
5.2
5.3
5.0
5.7
5.5
5.2
4.8
5.3
4.8
5.2
5.7
5.0
5.3
5.4
5.6
6.0
5.7
5.5
4.9
4.9
5.3
6.8
5.3
5.2
5.4
4.1
4.7
4.9
4.7
5.7
4.9
5.2
5.7
5.4
5.3
103.8
92.6
97.4
93.9
93.5
102.3
95.3
94.1
95.1
94.3
88.7
89.3
91.5
85.8
80.1
101.4
101.0
98.8
88.5
97.2
81.4
88.9
96.4
90.3
95.9
99.1
100.2
103.7
99.3
90.4
88.9
93.0
95.4
112.4
97.5
93.4
93.6
71.7
81.9
96.5
93.6
101.6
80.3
92.3
93.3
98.3
93.7
108
99
102
99
100
106
100
97
99
99
93
95
96
93
87
105
105
103
95
101
88
95
99
94
102
101
105
107
103
97
94
98
100
112
101
97
98
80
90
101
98
105
88
98
98
101
99
6.5
1.0
6.3
1.2
7.2
1.7
8.4
2.0
6.6
1.3
7.0
1.0
6.9
0.7
5.6
0.4
5.5
7.9
5.4
7.5
3