Estimation of the parameters of the ecological adaptability of the alfalfa samples according to the traits ‘green mass productivity’ and ‘raw protein percentage’

The current paper has presented the estimation results of ecological adaptability of the alfalfa samples. The purpose of the work was to assess the productivity and quality of green mass of the alfalfa samples from the IPI plant genetic resources gene bank and to identify the most adaptive ones according to the trait ‘green mass productivity’ and ‘raw protein percentage’. The study of the collection alfalfa samples was carried out in the southern part of the Rostov region on the plots of the “ARC “Donskoy” in the breeding crop rotation of perennial grasses in 2016–2018. The objects of study were 30 alfalfa samples from the collection of N.I. Vavilov IPI from different countries (Canada, the USA, Peru, France). The variety ‘Rostovskaya 90’ was used as a standard one. The estimation of alfalfa samples on the presence of adaptive properties in them according to the trait ‘green mass productivity’ showed that the most valuable samples in present practical breeding work are the samples ‘K-32873’, ‘K-33299’, ‘K-42684’, ‘K-42249’, ‘K-78803’ with weak responsiveness to changes in environmental conditions; the samples ‘K-36104’, ‘K-48778’, ‘K-42694’, ‘K-45715’, ‘K-47800’, ‘K-47802’, ‘K-43260’ with high resistance to stress; the samples ‘K-43272’, ‘K-50545’, ‘K-47806’, ‘K-47807’ with genetically flexible genotypes. When breeding according to the trait ‘raw protein percentage’, the samples ‘K-47807’, ‘K-47804’, ‘K-42712’ possessing a high raw protein percentage and resistance to changes in this trait are important for further work.