Study on the production performance of alfalfa varietiesat different fall dormancy classes in Zhengzhou

The study on production performance of 15 introduced alfalfa varieties with fall dormancy (FD) classes ranging from classes 2 to 9 was conducted by measuring the fresh matter yield, plant height, leaf to stem ratio and nutrient content in Zhengzhou in order to evaluate their agronomical traits. The results indicated that 1) the fresh forage yields of varieties from class 3 to class 5 were higher than those from class 6 to class 8, and as for, the fresh matter yield of different cuttings ranked from first to fifth while 5 cuttings were made in one year; 2) in consideration of yield and quality, the most suitable alfalfa varieties grown in Zhengzhou were Alfaking ( FD3), WL-324 and Archer (FD5).