Duke
1. Duke resulted from a cross of two populations in 1978, Gage 712 (predominately from Apollo and Anchor) and Cage 731 (from Titan and Vangard), which had undergone previous selection for resistance to Phytophthora root rot, anthracnose, bacterial wilt and Fusarium wilt, plus selection for winterhardiness at Ames, Iowa.
2. Duke is a moderately winterhardy variety adapted to the midwest for hay, greenchop or dehydration purposes. It has been tested in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New York.
3. Flower color of Syn 1 was approximately 96% purple, 3% variegated and less than 1% cream and yellow. Growth habit is erect in midsummer and semi-erect in the fall. Fall dormancy is similar to Saranac.
4. Duke has high resistance to Phytophthora root rot, resistance to bacterial and Fusarium wilt and moderate resistance to anthracnose. It has not been adequately tested for resistance to pea aphid, spotted alfalfa aphid and stem nematode. It is susceptible to blue alfalfa aphid.
5. Breeder seed (Syn 1) was produced from a 50:50 mixture of cages 712 and 731 at Nampa, Idaho with sufficient seed for the life of the variety held in controlled storage. Certified seed may be produced from either breeder or foundation seed. One generation each of breeder, foundation and certified seed is recognized. A maximum of three harvest years is permitted on stands producing foundation seed with five harvest years maximum on stands producing certified seed. Foundation seed production will be limited to the northern area of adaptation.
6. Seed will be marketed in the spring of 1982.
7. Application for Plant Variety Protection has been made, but not under the certification option.