Alfalfa Varieties for Oklahoma, 1999

ALFALFA VARIETIES FOR OKLAHOMA, 1999

John Caddel
Forage Extension Agronomist

Jay Prater
Senior Agriculturist

Thousands of varieties have been developed, and about 100 varieties are released each year. The choice of which variety to plant is an important question alfalfa producers must resolve before establishing new stands. So it is, no wonder producers are sometime uncertain about variety choice.

To assist producers with decisions related to variety choices, personnel in the Plant and Soil Sciences Department through the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment and Cooperative Extension Service conduct alfalfa variety evaluations in Oklahoma. Normally 15 new alfalfas are submitted annually for testing in Oklahoma.

This report summarizes data collected for many years including 1997 plantings and is divided into three parts. Table 1 lists varieties in which we have the most confidence. These varieties have been tested in a wide array of environments, and each has performed well consistently.

The "Forage Yield Score" is a relative ranking of the accumulated performance of the particular variety. A Forage Yield Score of "100" is an average performance. Higher than 100 indicates higher yield, and less than 100 means the variety has not performed as well as the average variety in our tests.

Table 1. Highest Yielding, Well-Tested Varieties
Variety	Source	Forage Yield Score	Total
Variety	Source	Forage Yield Score	Test-Years
Good As Gold	Johnston Seed	102	45
OK 49	Cal/West Seed	102	71
Garst 630	Garst Seed	103	107
Cimarron VR	Great Plains Res.	101	86
Garst 645	Garst Seed	101	59
Magnum IV	Johnston Seeds	101	24

DK 133	DeKalb Seed	107	16
Reward	Drussel Seed	104	17
Innovator+Z	Agri Pro	103	19
Depend +EV	Agri Pro	101	12
WL 323	W-L Research	101	21
WL 324	W-L Research	100	15

Oklahoma Alfalfa Variety Tests are on the Internet at: www.agr.okstate.edu/alfalfa/var-test/alf-var.html
Detailed results for 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 may be seen and printed from this site.

Table 2 contains a group of new varieties that have performed well in limited testing. Some of these varieties may be recommended in the future if their performance is good and they are available in the state.

Table 2. New Varieties May not be available and/or may need additional testing
Variety	Source	Forage Yield Score	Total Test-Years
Enhancer	Drussel	100	7
54H55	Pioneer Hi-Bred	102	2
HayGrazer	Great Plains	101	14
Key	Great Plains	102	9
Dominator	Agri Pro	101	9
Robust	Agri Pro	104	6
Cimarron 3i	Great Plains	105	4

Table 3 contains a few varieties that have not performed well in recent Oklahoma tests. Their yield is not as good as the recommended varieties in our tests. When grown in certain environments the stand of these entries may be gone after the second year whereas stands of the recommended varieties were productive for several more years. This illustrates that the recorded yields during the first years may enhance the yield potential of these types. Many other old varieties are in this group, including Cody, Kanza, Riley, Dawson, Arc, Team, Liberty, etc., but they were not in recent tests.

Table 3. Mediocre or Poor Yielding Varieties
Variety	Source	Forage Field Source	Total Test - Years
OK08 *	Oklahoma	94	200+
Buffalo	Source B	96	26
Buffalo	Source N	95	4
Buffalo	Source S	96	8
Alfagraze	America's	95	7+

OK08 has been used in each variety test for many years as a representative of the old true Oklahoma Commons. Buffalo seed has not been certified in many years. These three are from seed provided by Oklahoma producers. Alfagraze is intended for intensive continuous grazing, but does not perform well in our yield tests.

Table 4 includes several old varieties that are no longer included in test in Oklahoma. There may not be seed available from reliable sources.

Table 4. Old High-yielding Varieties
Variety	Forage Yield Score	Years Tested in Oklahoma
Advantage	104	1980-88
Aggressor	104	1991-96
Cimarron	102	1978-93
5472	103	1990-97
Apollo Supreme	101	1989-95
WL 320	101	1985-95
WL 323	101	1990-97
Caution: When using these varieties, be sure that the seed truly represents the variety. There is little or no certified or original seed of these varieties available.

Table 5 includes three varieties from W-L Research that were selected for high quality factors, but they do not yield well in our tests. These varieties reportedly hold their quality a little longer than other varieties.

5. High Quality
Variety	Source	Forage Yield Score	Total Test- Years
WL 252 HQ	W-L Research	98	15
WL 322 HQ	W-L Research	96	27
WL 325 HQ	W-L Research	99	12

Any individual or company can submit alfalfa varieties or strains for OSU's tests. We assess a fee to help cover some testing costs from the private sector. Detailed results of evaluations are presented annually in the CAIC Variety Test Report which includes alfalfa variety tests from 15 central states and is compiled by the Central Alfalfa Improvement Conference. Alfalfa Variety Test Data as well as many other Oklahoma Alfalfa topics are on the web at:

www.agr.okstate.edu/alfalfa

Additional Information: Alfalfa forage yield for a particular variety varies from year to year and from one site to another; however, a variety's Forage Yield Score varies much less. For this reason (and to conserve space), Forage Yield Scores are presented. This is the total yield for a variety in a test divided by the average of all varieties in the test multiplied by 100. Detailed yield data for each harvest in every trial are available from the authors for interested readers.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference made to commercial products or trade names is with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied. Oklahoma State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Sam E. Curl, Director of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. This publication is printed and issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Dean of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

PT 99-21

Page 2

July 1999