Sierra

1. Sierra is an eighteen clone synthetic variety. Parent plants were selected out of forage yield plots and/or disease nurseries. These parent plants were progeny tested for one or more of the following traits: Forage yield, stand pe~sistence, forage quality, resistance to bacterial wilt, Fusarium wilt, Phytophthora root rot, anthracnose (Race 1), Verticillium wilt, Aphanomyces root rot (Race 1), spotted alfalfa aphid and pea aphid. Parent plants trace back to Answer, Apollo, Vernal, Tempo, XNP-Bl(Syn. 2) HNP-Dl, Teweles Multistrain, and Dairyland Experimental.. Dairyland Experimentals trace back to Ranger and Iroquois. The percent of germplasm sources are Ladak (10), Turkistan (30), Flemish (35), and Chilean (25).

2. Sierra is adapted to the North Central United States and is intended for use in the Northern half of the United States. States where it has been tested are: Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Kansas.

3. Sierra is a dormant cultivar similar to Ranger in fall dormancy. Flower color in the Syn. 2 generation is 90% purple, 10% variegated, with trace amounts of cream, white andyellow.

4. Sierra has high resistance to bacterial wilt, Fusarium wilt, Phytophthora root rot, resistance to anthracnose (Race 1), Verticillium wilt, spotted alfalfa aphid, moderate resistance to stem nematode, Aphanomyces root rot (Race 1), northern root knot nematode (M.hapla), and low resistance to blue alfalfa aphid. It has not been tested for reaction to pea aphid.

5. Breeder seed was produced from cuttings of the parental plants in an isolation block as Syn. 1 in Sloughhouse, CA in 1989-91. Seed from parent plants were equally bulked and seed lots were kept separate. Foundation seed (Syn. 2) was produced from Breeder seed and Certified seed (Syn. 2 or 3) from either Breeder or Foundation seed. One generation each of Breeder and Foundation and two generations of Certified seed (Syn. 2 or 3) classes are recognized. A maximum of three years each is permitted on stands producing Breeder and Foundation seed with five years for Certified seed. Sufficient Breeder seed for the projected life of the variety will be maintained by Dairyland Research.

6. Certified seed will be available spring of 1994.

7. Application for the Plant Variety Protection is undecided.

8. As a means of additional varietal protection, information included with this application may be provided to the PVP office.