AGROCHEMOTAXOMETRY OF ALFALFA

Abstract

The relationships between 14 agronomically important chemical characteristics and 12 morphological traits were examined in several hundred stocks of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) grown in a common plantation. Significant univariate and multivariate associations were found between the percent of S and Ca and the morphological variables. The associations with S could be attributed to relative parentage of ssp. sativa and ssp. falcata, the former showing about 27% higher S content than the latter. Hybrid derivatives between the two subspecies possessed about 24% less Ca, a phenomenon which may be related to the notable adaptive divergence between sativa and falcata with respect to calcareous soil. The two chemical variables had only limited value as taxonomic discriminators of ssp. sativa, ssp. falcata, and populations of hybrid origin.