SELECTION FOR HIGHER SEED YIELD IN ALFALFA
A breeding program was undertaken in 1957 at Swift Current, Sask., to improve the seed-yielding ability of the variety Rambler. Plants heavily set with seed were selected and evaluated by polycross progeny tests. More than two-thirds of the polycross progeny lines yielded more seed than the parent Rambler variety at each of two locations. There was no significant association of line performance between the two locations. At one location the polycross progeny lines tended to yield in the same order in three successive years, the r values between them being +.571, +.606, and +.493. There was no association between the seed yield of parental clonal lines and their polycross progenies measured in different years. In spite of great inconsistencies in seed yields between locations, it was possible to form a tentative synthetic from eight clones, which, by prediction, should yield about 30% more seed than Rambler at one location and 13% more at the other, with forage yield and winterhardiness remaining the same as that of the parent variety. It is suggested that a precise record be kept of the species of bees doing the pollinating at various locations in order to evaluate the reasons for differential seed production of lines at each location.