REPORT OF THE 35^th NORTH AMERICAN ALFALFA IMPROVEMENT CONFERENCE

June 16 - 20, 1996
Radison Inn
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The 35th North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference (NAAIC) held at the Radisson Inn, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, included four days of paper and poster sessions, and business meetings, pre-conference scientific tours to the Noble Foundation at Ardmore, Oklahoma State University Research Stations at Stillwater and Perkins, a mid-week tour of the Chickasha Research Station, and a full-day post-conference tour of Braum's Dairy and National Cowboy Hall of Fame. An industry supported awards luncheon recognized Billy A. Melton, James H. Elgin, Jr., and Dwayne A. Rohweder as 1996 NAAIC Honorary Members and Landon R. Rhodes, as the R. R. Hill, Jr. Award winner. Participation in the conference by workers in all disciplines of alfalfa science was excellent.
This report includes abstracts of papers, poster sessions, and committee reports. Contributing authors and their organization are responsible for the information presented in this report. Those wishing to reproduce any part of this report should consult the author.

Copies of this report and those of the 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, and 1994 conferences are available at $10 each from the incoming NAAIC Executive Secretary, Gary R. Bauchan, USDA/ARS/PSI, Soybean and Alfalfa Research Laboratory, Bldg. 009, Rm. 3-4, BARC-W, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-2350. Checks should be made payable to NAAIC.
Membership in the NAAIC (inclusion on the mailing list) is free and obtained using the questionnaire at the end of this report.

Program Chairman: Michael A. Peterson

Table of Contents

Alfalfa Breeding, Genetics, and Cytogenetics

Alfalfa Diseases and Insects

POSTER SESSION

ALFALFA BIOTECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM

SPECIAL TOPICS SYMPOSIUM

PHYSIOLOGY, FORAGE QUALITY AND PRODUCTION

NAAIC President's Report

Mark McCaslin
Forage Genetics
West Salem, WI 54669

The vitality of the NAAIC relies on contributions from many energetic people. The effectiveness of the various committees, the fine program of our recent conference and the rich informal interaction between friends/colleagues at the conference are all signs of good health for our organization.

It has been a privilege to serve as President of the NAAIC from 1994-1996. I have very much enjoyed working with the executive committee, the conference local arrangements committee and chairpersons and members of the various other NAAIC committees. To all of these people I give my sincere thank you for a job well done.

I am looking very forward to our next conference at Bozeman, Montana in 1998. Please contact members of the executive committee with your ideas for the program and/or for the NAAIC in general. Involve yourself in the organization. I am confident you will, as I have, find the experience rewarding.

BUSINESS MEETING