The development of a high-biomass alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hybrid was the aim of this research, along with evaluating its agronomic and morphological performance under Uzbekistan conditions. The hybrid line Tashkent-3651 reached its development through conventional hybridization between the parental genotypes k-6365 (Sudan) and k-3189 (Asia Minor). The newly developed alfalfa hybrid (Tashkent-3651) and its parental cultivars (k-6365 and k-3189) reached assessment in comparison with the check genotype Tashkent-1 under field conditions. The results revealed significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences among the genotypes for green biomass yield, hay yield, plant height, and leafiness. The hybrid Tashkent-3651 enunciated superior performance for higher green biomass and hay yield, as well as improved morphological traits compared with the standard cultivar Tashkent-1 and the parental genotypes. The increased productivity of the alfalfa hybrid showed an association with enhanced growth vigor, higher leafiness, and improved biomass accumulation. Overall, the results confirmed that hybridization between genetically diverse genotypes was an effective approach for improving biomass productivity and forage quality in alfalfa. The newly developed hybrid Tashkent-3651 showed the high potential for cultivation under agroecological conditions of Uzbekistan.
Alfalfa (M. sativa L.), hybridization, biomass yield, hay yield, morphological traits, leafiness, Uzbekistan conditions
The alfalfa (M. sativa L.) hybrid Tashkent-3651 (k-6365 × k-3189) significantly outperformed the standard cultivar and parental genotypes in biomass and hay yield. The hybrid higher plant height (95 ± 2.4 cm) and leafiness (49.2% ± 1.2%) considerably contributed to the improved forage productivity and quality.