Most of the alfalfa varieties being introduced for the 2008 planting season have been reviewed and approved for certification by the National Alfalfa and Miscellaneous Legumes Variety Re-view Board, which is an association of official seed certifying agencies.
A few of those listed on these pages are being marketed now, but will go through board review this coming January. (Those varieties are footnoted.)
Some of the new alfalfas fill a void in a company's alfalfa lineup. Others offer improved pest resistance or other traits.
Buying alfalfa seed that's eligible for certification is a grower's best insurance when the seed supply is tight, says Dan Undersander, extension forage specialist with the University of Wisconsin.
“In years when seed is short and people really scrape the bottom of the barrel, you end up with two things. Seed may not have the high germination or the low level of hard seed we'd like to see. Or it may have weed seeds and other things in it. So certification will tell you that you've got clean seed and that the seed will germinate,” he says.
Undersander recommends that growers buy from dealers with proven reputations. Major seed companies have their varieties reviewed. Those that pass board review are eligible for certification, but much of the domestic alfalfa seed is not actually certified.
“If you know the dealer and trust that company, then eligible for certification is the important characteristic” when shopping for alfalfa seed, he adds. “We should remind people that, over the last few years, even the blends and the ‘cheaper’ seed have been of very good genetics because of a good supply of seed.
“But this year, when the supply of seed is less, the difference between the lower-cost seed and the premium seed will be far greater in terms of performance than it has been previously.”
So it's worth a grower's while to buy varieties with known levels of disease resistance rather than brown-bag seed, or seed not eligible for certification. Buying common or brown-bag alfalfa is “sort of like saying you don't know whether you're getting a Holstein or a Guernsey,” Undersander says.
Jump to: Fall Dormancy 4 | Fall Dormancy 5&6 | Fall Dormancy 7-9, abbreviations, notes
FALL DORMANCY 2
Spyder is a Brett-Young Seeds,Ltd., variety. | AN-R1 | R | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | R |
| PRR | R | APH-R1 | R |
| PA | R | SAA | MR |
FALL DORMANCY 3
Keystone is from Chemgro Seeds. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | PRR | HR |
| APH-R1 | R | | |
Upper Edge, from Ampac Seed Co., has multileaflet expression. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | | |
Continue Reading on next page: Fall Dormancy 4
Jump to: Fall Dormancy 2&3 | Fall Dormancy 4 | Fall Dormancy 5&6 | Fall Dormancy 7-9, abbreviations, notes
FALL DORMANCY 4
4P424 is a potato leafhopper-resistant variety from Mycogen Seed. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | SN | R |
2 54V09 comes from Pioneer Hi-Bred International. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | R | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | R |
| APH-R2 | MR | PA | HR |
| SAA | R | SN | HR |
| NRKN | HR | | |
A 4330, from Producer's Choice,is a multileaflet variety. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | SN | R |
| RKN | HR | | |
A 4440 is sold by Producer's Choice. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| VW | HR | PRR | HR |
| APH-R1 | HR | PA | R |
Evergreen 3, a potato leafhopper-resistant variety, is marketed by Syngenta/NK Brand Seed. | AN-RI | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | SN | R |
| RKN | R | | |
Garst 6426, from Garst Seed, is a potato leafhopper-resistant variety. | AN-RI | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | HR | SN | HR |
HybriForce-440 is a Dairyland Seed hybrid alfalfa. | AN-R1 | R | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | R |
| PA | R | SN | HR |
| NRKN | HR | | |
Magnum VI is marketed by Dairyland Seed. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | MR | | |
Notice III, from Channel Bio Midwest, is a multileaflet variety. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | SN | R |
| RKN | R | | |
PerForm is sold through Doebler's PA Hybrids. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | | |
PGI 427 is sold by Producer's Choice. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | HR | SN | R |
1 TS 4002, marketed through Target Seed, shows traffic and salt tolerance. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | HR | SAA | R |
| BAA | MR | SN | MR |
| CRKN | R | NRKN | R |
| PCR | HR | | |
1 TS 4007 is also from Target Seed and is traffic-tolerant. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| APH-R2 | MR | PA | R |
| SAA | MR | BAA | MR |
| SN | MR | PCR | HR |
1 TS 4027, a traffic-tolerant alfalfa, comes from Target Seed. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| APH-R2 | R | PA | R |
| SAA | MR | BAA | MR |
| SN | MR | | |
1 TS 4028 is another Target Seed variety. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | R |
| PA | R | SAA | R |
| BAA | MR | SN | HR |
| CRKN | R | NRKN | R |
WinterKing II, from Midwestern Bio-Ag, is a multileaflet variety. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | SN | MR |
WL 343HQ, a multileaflet alfalfa, is sold by WL Research. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | HR | SN | R |
Continue Reading on next page: Fall Dormancy 5 & 6
Jump to: Fall Dormancy 2&3 | Fall Dormancy 4 | Fall Dormancy 5&6 | Fall Dormancy 7-9, abbreviations, notes
FALL DORMANCY 5
55V48 comes from Pioneer Hi-Bred International. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | R |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| APH-R2 | R | PA | HR |
| SAA | R | SN | R |
| NRKN | R | | |
A 5225 is distributed by Producer's Choice. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | SN | R |
| NRKN | HR | | |
Archer III is a multileaflet variety from America's Alfalfa. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-RI | HR |
| PA | HR | SN | HR |
| RKN | HR | | |
Attention II is an Ampac Seed Co. variety. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | R |
| PRR | R | APH-RI | MR |
Charger is marketed by Beck's Superior Hybrids and Mid-Atlantic Seed. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-RI | HR |
| PA | MR | | |
FSG 528SF is from Farm Science Genetics. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | R | VW | R |
| PRR | R | APH-RI | R |
SpringGold is marketed by Renk Seed. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | HR |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | HR |
| PA | R | SN | R |
| RKN | HR | | |
1 TS 5026 is a Target Seed variety. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | VW | R |
| PRR | HR | APH-R1 | R |
| PA | HR | SAA | R |
| BAA | R | SN | HR |
| CRKN | R | NRKN | R |
FALL DORMANCY 6
Arriba II, a multileaflet alfalfa, comes from America's Alfalfa. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | PRR | HR |
| PA | HR | SAA | HR |
| SN | HR | RKN | HR |
Continue Reading on next page: Fall Dormancy 7-9, abbreviations, special notes
Jump to: Fall Dormancy 2&3 | Fall Dormancy 4 | Fall Dormancy 5&6 | Fall Dormancy 7-9, abbreviations, notes
FALL DORMANCY 7
FG 60M1053 is a multileaflet variety sold by Helena. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | HR | PRR | HR |
| PA | HR | SAA | HR |
| SN | HR | RKN | HR |
FG 71M405, distributed by UAP, exhibits multileaflet expression. | AN-R1 | HR | BW | HR |
| FW | R | PRR | HR |
| SAA | HR | SN | HR |
| RKN | HR | | |
Magna 788 is from Dairyland Seed. | AN-R1 | R | PRR | HR |
| PA | R | SN | R |
| NRKN | HR | SRKN | HR |
FALL DORMANCY 8
Integra 8800, a multileaflet variety, is sold by Wilbur-Ellis. | AN-R1 | R | FW | HR |
| PRR | HR | PA | HR |
| SAA | R | SN | HR |
| RKN | HR | | |
FALL DORMANCY 9
SW 9215 is a salt-tolerant variety marketed by S&W Seed Co. | BW | R | FW | HR |
| PRR | R | PA | R |
| SAA | HR | BAA | HR |
| SRKN | HR | | |
Pest abbreviations include: AN-R1 = anthracnose-race 1, BW = bacterial wilt, FW = fusarium wilt, VW = verticillium wilt, PRR = Phytophthora root rot, APH-R1 and APH-R2 = Aphanomyces root rot races 1 and 2, PA = pea aphid, SAA = spotted alfalfa aphid, BAA = blue alfalfa aphid, SN = stem nematode, RKN = root knot nematode, NRKN = northern root knot nematode, SRKN = southern root knot nematode, CRKN = Columbia root knot nematode and PCR = phoma crown rot.
Resistance abbreviations include: HR = high resistance, R = resistance, MR = moderate resistance.
1 Variety is being marketed and is in the process of being reviewed by the National Alfalfa And Miscellaneous Legumes Variety Review Board to be eligible for certification.
2 Variety was board-reviewed in 2007 but under a different name.