Evaluation of seed yield and its components in cold-region adapted ecotypes of alfalfa

For evaluation of seed yield and its components in Iranian cold region adapted alfalfa ecotypes and determination of suitable ecotype/ecotypes, an experiment was conducted with 25
ecotypes using randomized complete block design with three replications at Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Azarbayejan-e- Sharqi for four years. Significant differences were found among ecotypes for characters such as 1000 kernel weight, seed yield, length of inflorescence, number of pods and flowers per inflorescence and seeds number per pod, province of Iran plant height, non violet flowers percentage, and pod yield. This variation can be used to select superior genotypes within the valuable ecotypes to improve synthetic varieties. Based on the measured traits, cluster analysis grouped ecotypes in three clusters. Ordu-Bad ecotype produced 810 Kg/ha seeds and had the highest seed yield, and the lowest value belonged to Sahand- Ava ecotype with 259 Kg/ha. Based on the results of this research, Ordu- Bad ecotype can be introduced as a ecotype that would be useful for improving alfalfa synthetic variety.