Seed Productivity of Native and Foreign Alfalfa Varieties
Under Conditions of Radial Seeding

M. Voloshin, V. Valter and T. Voloshina


Alfalfa Breeding Department
Lukyanenko Research Institute of Agriculture
Krasnodar, Russia 350012

Numerous alfalfa seed growing researches in the south of Russia on relationship of the alfalfa stands structure with the seed productivity show that plant morphology and seed yield change under the influence of plant density.
Our experiments were carried out to investigate the structure of alfalfa stands in ordinary row (15 cm), wide-row (45 and 70 cm) and radial (1-140cm) sowings. Results showed that plant density mostly decreased in the first year of growth, especially in ordinary row sowings - up to 38%.
Significant difference between plant age and methods of sowing was established on the base of seed yield structure. Wide-row sowings of all alfalfa varieties possessed an advantage over ordinary row sowings. They considerably surpass plants in ordinary sowings in number of inflorescences, flowers per one shoot; seed formation was higher by 20-26%. The alfalfa seed yield in the second year was in ordinary row sowings - 340 kg/ha, in wide-row sowings - 610 kg/ha. In the forth year it was 200 kg/ha and 320 kg/ha, correspondingly.
Radial sowings were more convenient for observation and evaluations. For such sowings we outlined a circle with 5 m radius which was marked to the maximum width of rows. In our experiment it was 140 cm. The seeder CP1 moved from the center of the circle towards the circumference so we obtained 22 plots with row width from 1 to 140 cm, 120 seeds/linear metre. The study of seed productivity and fresh yield was carried out in every five meters. The first five metres conformed to row width 1-28 cm, the second five metres to 29-56 cm, the third to 57-84 cm, the forth to 85-112 cm, the fifth to 113-140 cm.

Table. Alfalfa Seed Yield in Radial Sowings in Anapo-Taman Region. Average for 3 Years

Cultivar,
number		Seed yield, g/m2, with row width
1-28 cm29-56 cm57-84 cm85-112 cm113-140 cm
Bagira
171h283
Globus
Polar
Drymmor
MEB 8306
Krona
LSD0,05		33
36
25
20
24
24
28
3		47
49
36
35
30
40
42
3		59
63
57
49
51
53
68
4		63
58
43
52
55
47
82
3		56
47
44
46
47
39
73
4

The data of alfalfa fresh yields obtained showed the advantage of alfalfa sowings with the row width 1-28 cm and 29-56 cm. Sowings with wider rows were inferior to the above sowings in dry years by 5-47%, in wet years - up to 65%. The results of alfalfa seed productivity showed that the best sowings were in the central zone of Krasnodar region with row width 29-84 cm, in Anapo-Taman zone with row width 57-112 cm.

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