1. Honeoye was developed by three cycles of recurrent phenotypic selection in field nurseries. Selection was made for vigor, early spring growth, rapid recovery from cutting in a 3-harvest management, variegated flower color, resistance to the bacterial wilt disease from artificial inoculation, and relative freedom from foliar diseases and insect damage under natural epiphytotics and infestations in the field. Breeder seed is produced from the interpollination by honey bees of 150 parent clones in a plant growth chamber.
2. Honeoye is recommended for hay and haylage in New York. The area of probable adaptation is similar to that for Saranac. It has been tested in yield trials and in demonstration trials on farms in New York. It is under test in nearby states and Eastern Canada.
3. Honeoye is similar to Saranac in growth habit, persistence, and disease reactions. The most distinctive difference is that approximately 75 percent of the plants of Honeoye are variegated in flower color as contrasted to approximately 18 percent in Saranac. From subjective observation Honeoye has more plants than Saranac with dark green foliage color and early spring growth.
4. Seed increase shall be in the limited generation sequence with one generation each of Breeder, Foundation and Certified. Production of Foundation seed will be by the New York Seed Improvement Cooperative, Inc. in the Northern alfalfa region only. Certified seed fields must be planted with Breeder or Foundation seed.
5. Certified seed in limited quantity will be available in Spring of 1976.
6. An application has been submitted for Plant Variety Protection under the provision that the variety may be sold by variety name only as a class of certified seed.