Persistence and productivity of Medicago sativa subspecies sativa, caerulea, falcata and varia accessions at three intermittently dry sites in south-eastern Australia
G. D. Li A E F , Z. N. Nie B E , S. P. Boschma C E , B. S. Dear A E , G. M. Lodge C E , R. C. Hayes A E , B. Clark B E , S. J. Hughes D E and A. W. Humphries D EA EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (Industry & Investment NSW – Charles Sturt University), Pine Gully Road, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia.
B Department of Primary Industries, Private Bag 105, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.
C Industry & Investment NSW, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, 4 Marsden Park Road, Calala, NSW 2340, Australia.
D South Australia Research and Development Institute, Waite Campus, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
E Future Farm Industries CRC, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: guangdi.li@industry.nsw.gov.au
Crop and Pasture Science 61(8) 645-658 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP09360
Submitted: 14 December 2009 Accepted: 25 June 2010 Published: 13 August 2010
Abstract
The persistence and productivity of a diverse range of Medicago sativa germplasm including representatives of subspecies sativa, caerulea, falcata and varia were examined at 3 field sites in south-eastern Australia over 4 years. Sites were located at Tamworth, Barmedman and Hamilton, forming a 1200 km north–south transect with rainfall distribution varying from predominantly summer dominant in the north to winter dominant at the most southerly site. Several entries of subspecies varia and caerulea had herbage yields and persistence equivalent to that of M. sativa subspecies sativa cultivar Sceptre, a highly winter-active type that was used as a standard. The cultivar Cancreep, a cross of M. falcata and M. sativa, had a total yield over 3 years equivalent to 84–91% of Sceptre at the 2 sites where it was sown. Individual lines of subspecies varia demonstrated good persistence under grazing and were ranked 2nd and 6th out of 35 accessions for frequency in year 4 at Barmedman, the driest site, and 5th, 7th and 9th out of 33 accessions at Tamworth, the more summer-dominant rainfall site. Entries of subspecies falcata were among the least productive and persistent. The study indicated that germplasm from subspecies caerulea and varia offered hitherto unexploited potential for selection as persistent and drought-tolerant perennial legume alternatives to M. sativa for extensive low management grazing systems of south-eastern Australia.
Additional keywords: alfalfa, drought tolerance, perennial Medicago.
Acknowledgments
This project was financially supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation project UWA 397. The field studies were conducted as part of the research program of the Cooperative Research Centre for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity. Seed of the Medicago accessions was provided by the South Australian Medicago Genetic Resource Centre, Waite Research Institute, Adelaide. We also thank Mr Peter Stewart of ‘Glen Morran’ Barmedman who kindly provided land. We gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance provided by Jamie Smith at Department of Primary Industries, Hamilton, Victoria; Mark Brennan, Brian Roworth, Ivan Stace and Peter Sanson at Industry & Investment NSW, Tamworth, and Justin Tidd at Industry & Investment NSW, Wagga Wagga.
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