167

1.   167 Alfalfa was developed by choosing later fall dormant and pea aphid tolerant plants from Washoe and evaluating them in replicated clonal nursery trials for rate of recovery following forage harvest, reaction to disease and insect infestation, leafiness, foilage color and seed yields. Fourteen clones among 1500 plants originally examined comprise the parentage of this cultivar. This first cycle of recurrent selection for later fall dormancy proved to be an effective method to capitalize on the genetic variability for response to day length in an initial source having resistance to spotted alfalfa aphids and tolerance to Phytophthora root rot, stem nematodes and pea aphids.

2.   Intended use is primarily for hay production in the Western Region and in particular for heavier soils where slow drainage often results in poor stand persistence caused primarily by Phytophthora megasperma.

3.   Flower color is predominantly purple with ranges in color from dark blue to violet. Growth habit upright, pubescence none to scanty. Resistant to prevalent races of spotted alfalfa aphid in Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, high tolerance to pea aphids, tolerant to Phytophthora root rot, to stem nematodes, to downy mildew and to common leaf spots.

4.   Breeder seed produced from a recombination of 14 parental clones in either field or cage isolations with leaf cutting bees as pollinators in cages. Foundation seed produced in fields planted with Breeder seed. Foundation seed harvested only from first two years in seed production. Certified seed produced from fields planted with Foundation seed or from fields planted with Breeder seed (after second seed harvest). 167 is a limited generation cultivar.

5.   Certified seed available from 1974 seed production fields.