The expected move towards more sustainable crop-livestock systems implies wider
cultivation of perennial forage legumes. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa subsp. sativa) is the main …

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a perennial and outcrossing species, is a widely planted forage
legume for hay, pasture and silage throughout the world. Currently, alfalfa breeding relies on …

Cultivated alfalfa (Medicago sativa L., 2n= 4x= 32), often called “Queen of the
forages”(Barnes et al. 1988), is a tetraploid perennial, open pollinated legume with …

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), an important forage crop that is also a potential biofuel crop, has
advantages of high yield, high lignocellulose concentration in stems, and has low input …

Background Alfalfa, a perennial, outcrossing species, is a widely planted forage legume
producing highly nutritious biomass. Currently, improvement of cultivated alfalfa mainly …

The Medicago sativa species complex includes tetraploid cultivated alfalfa and several other
diploid and tetraploid taxa that are recognized either as subspecies of M. sativa or as …

Background Polyploidy plays an important role in the adaptation and speciation of plants.
The alteration of karyotype is a significant event during polyploidy formation. The Medicago …

Most forage breeders, whether in the public or private sector, have typically developed
cultivars or germplasm of multiple species, resulting in genetic gains for most forage species …

The lucerne productive and nutritional potential make it the most used forage legume
worldwide. This wide use leads genetic improvement programs to increasingly select the …

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is member of the genus Medicago within the Fabaceae family.
Taxonomic treatment of the genus, and in particular, closely related taxa, has been …