Flowering and Fertility of Alfalfa as Influenced by Inbreeding and Stage of Plant Growth
1968
Miller, M. K. | Schonhorst, M. H.
Two clones of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and their F₁, S₁, and S₂ progenies were studied in the greenhouse at Tucson, Arizona. Numbers of seeds and pods produced and self-fertility, measured as seed-set percentage per self-pollinated flower, generally decreased with inbreeding. The F₁ plants sampled were more self-fertile than either parent clone. No relationship was found between generations of inbreeding and number of racemes or flowers produced. Self-fertility of all plants was highest during the first weeks of flowering; however, considerable variation occurred among plants in later weeks. The ratio of cross-fertility (seed-set percentage per cross-pollinated flower) to self-fertility of the parent clones was 4.1:1.0. Numbers of seeds and pods produced, and self-fertillty were highly correlated. Numbers of racemes and flowers produced were also highly correlated, but they were not correlated with self-fertility, number of pods, or number of seeds produced.
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