Seed Yield Selection in Medicago sativa L. and Correlated Responses Affecting Dry Matter Yield

Open pollinated (OP) progenies from 72 plants, selected for seed yield within a population of the Italian synthetic variety ‘Adriana’, were evaluated in 1983–1986 under dense stand conditions, both for dry matter yield (DMY) of the 1st cut and seed yield (SY) of the 2nd regrowth. Analysis of variance of the results showed the presense of significant differences in SY potential among entries, with average SY over the years of open pollinated (OP) progenies ranging between 32.1 gm^-3. In contrast, the OP progenies were not significantly different in DMY, averaging between 0.61 kg m^-2 and 0.77 kg m^-2. The results show the possibility of selecting for SY without a negative response affecting DMY in lucerne. Furthermore, the most interesting materials appeared to be characterized both by high average SY and SY stability over the year.