U.S. Department of Agriculture March 22, 1965
Crops Research Division, ARS
Beltsville, Maryland
REPORT OF MEETING OF
NATIONAL CERTIFIED ALFALFA VARIETY REVIEW BOARD
December 8, 1964
Members of the Review Board met December 8, 1964, at Chicago, Illinois. After requesting and reviewing supplemental information, they came to the conclusion that the varieties listed below were distinctive and merited certification. An application for certification of Joaquin 11 was also reviewed, but a report was deferred pending receipt of additional information.
Experimental
Variety Designation
Name During Testing Breeder Applicant
Europe* A-10 La Maison Florimond H.W. Walcott & Co.
Desprez, Cappelle par 373 South Claremont Templeuve (Nord) St., San Mateo, CA.
France 94401
Ladak 65 W.R. Ladak Robert F. Eslick Dept. of Plant & Soil
Sci., Montana Agr. Expt. Sta., Bozeman,
Montana
Norseman Norseman Exp.A Duane M. Smith Barzen of Minneapolis
Inc., 455 Harrison St
Minneapolis, Minn.
55440
* Applicant is considering use of the name "Europa" for merchandising in the United States.
Information pertinent to certifying agencies which were requested on the application for each variety, and the information submitted by the applicant are given below. The respective applicants should be contacted if additional information is desired.
Information Requested:
1. A statement of the origin and the breeding procedures used in developing the variety.
2. Area of probable adaptation and primary purpose (hay, grazing, etc.) for which this variety will be used. Report States and areas within States where the variety has been tested, and proposed areas of recommendation and merchandising.
3. Information of value to field inspectors (such as uniformity, leaf, flower characteristics, etc.), physiological characteristics, obvious disease and insect reactions, and other identifying characteristics.
4. Procedure for maintaining stock seed, seed classes to be used, a statement as to the limitations of generations that may be certified, and any other requirements or limitations necessary to maintain varietal characteristics.
5. If this variety is accepted by official certifying agencies, when will certified seed first be offered for sale?
Summary of Information Submitted by Applicant on the Above Points:
Europe
(See footnote, page 1)
1. Europe alfalfa is a selection from a Flemish population made
by the French breeding firm La Maison Floritrond Desprez, and is registered in the official French catalog for certified varieties.
2. Used primarily for hay production and grazing. Adaptation is
the corn belt, and North Atlantic states as well as Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Tested at experiment stations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi and Wisconsin and by Pfister Associated Growers at Cozad, Nebraska. Data from other states are not available at this time.
3. Flemish type with very erect growth, excellent standability under adverse weather conditions. Starts growth early in the spring, recovers quickly after cutting. Similar to other Flemish varieties in disease and insect resistance. Is not wilt resistant. Winter hardiness compares to currently accepted Flemish varieties.
4. Procedure for maintaining stock seed is that set down by French law and controlled by an official government agency f or the protection of the plant breeder in France. Elite or foundation seed of Europe is transported from France in cooperation with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Seed increase for certified seed is made only from foundation or elite seed from Florimond Desprez.
5. 1965.
Ladak 65
1. Is a synthetic variety consisting of 49 clones selected from old Ladak fields on the basis of progeny performance.
2. Dryland and two-cutting irrigated areas of Montana for hay. This variety has been developed primarily for Montana and testing has been limited primarily to Montana because of a limited seed supply.
3. Flower color same as Ladak; yellows and whites are represented in parent clones. Similar to Ladak in other respects, except that Ladak 65 may be slightly less fall dormant than Ladak. More resistant to bacterial wilt than Ladak.
4. Breeder seed produced from 49 replicated clones maintained at Bozeman, Montana. Foundation seed will be produced in Montana (and Wyoming if interested) from breeder seed only; stands may be harvested 5 years under irrigation and 7 years on dryland for production of foundation seed; stands for production of foundation seed may be used 2 more years under irrigation and 3 more years on dryland for production of certified seed only. Certified seed can be produced from foundation or breeder seed only, 7 years under irrigation and 10 years on dryland; only 2 generations from breeder seed are permissible for certification; certified seed production outside of Montana is left to the discretion of individual states but restrictions should be no less stringent than those given above for certified seed production in Montana.
5. 1965 or 1966.
Norseman
1. Parent plants selected from a selected lot of certified Ladak alfalfa. Final selection based on winter hardiness, uniformity of recovery, growth habit, and resistance to bacterial wilt.
2. Primary use - hay and/or grazing. To be recommended for long term rotation and in areas where bacterial wilt and winter-kill limit the use of other varieties. These areas include Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana, Michigan, dryland and northern 1 to 2 cut alfalfa region.
3. Variegated flower color - full range from purple to yellow. Wide-crowned, uniformly early fall dormancy, slow recovery, prostrate to semidecumbent growth habit, fine stemed and intermediate between Ranger and Vernal in resistance to bacterial wilt. An occasional plant will have sickle-shaped pods.
4. Breeder seed produced from 2900 vegetatively propagated plants in northern area of adaptation. Foundation seed may be produced only from breeder seed and only in the northern area of adaptation; number of years a field can produce foundation seed shall be governed by the state certifying agency wherein field is located. Certified seed may be produced only from breeder or foundation seed in any state which normally produces alfalfa seed; number of years a field may remain in production is to be governed by the certification agency within that state.
5. 1965.
The functions of the Board are to review and evaluate information in requests submitted by either public or private agencies for producing certified seed of new alfalfa varieties. The Board uses criteria developed by the Joint Alfalfa Work Conference and State seed certifying agencies for determining the merits of an application. The next meeting of the Review Board will be held in December 1965.
This report must not be used for promotion or advertising. Evidence that a variety merits certification does not constitute recommendation for forage use.
C.H. Hanson, Chairman,
National Certified Alfalfa
Variety Review Board
Members of the Board
L.E. Arnold
W.O. Scott
D.F. Beard
R.P. Murphy
C.H. Hanson, Chairman (nonvoting)
Alternates
I.J. Johnson
E.L. Granstaff
R.L. Davis
Allenby White