1. Mede is a synthetic variety which was developed by strain crossing and phenotypic recurrent selection for resistance to Verticillium wilt, Phytophthora root rot, anthracnose, or the blue alfalfa aphid.  Parentage traces predominantly to Valley +, Baron, Emerald, Crown, CUF 101, WL 316, and DKl35. Estimates of the major germplasm sources that constitute this variety are: M. falcata (3%), Ladak (4%), M. varia (10%), Turkistan (11%), Flemish (43%), Chilean (10%), Peruvian (1%), Indian (4%), African (7%), and unknown (7%).