Family selection in single-cut"fahl" barseem clover "trifolium alexandrinum,l."to improve forage and seed yields

Abstract EN

The objectives of the study were to assess the direct response of green forage and seed yields of" Fahl" barseem type, to selection and detect the correlated responses in dry forage and leaves/stem ratio.

The base population comprised from a composite of 43 farmers seed lots of "Fahl" single-cut barseem clover.

In the base population's nursery of 2013/2014 season, 700 plants were visually selected before flowering depending on stem girth, stem branching and mass of ground cover.

The highest 120 seed producing plants had saved as half-sib families.

S1- seeds of the selected families were saved in refrigerator.

In 2014/2015 seasons, the 120 selected half-sib families had evaluated in six sets, each of twenty families.

In winter season of 2015/2016, selfed seeds of the upper 20 % selected half-sib families had planted in an isolated block.

At maturity, seeds had harvested to represent the new improved population designated as (C1-H.S(F)) for families evaluated on forage yield and(C1-H.S(S)) for families evaluated on seed yield .The superiority of gains were proportional to the direction of selection i.e.; higher responses in green or seed yields were obtained with selection directed to each separate character.

Whereas, significant responses in dry forage yield and leaves/stem ratio were obtained when selection was directed to green forage yield.

In the meantime, selection directed to seed yield gave insignificant gain in dry forage yield and leaves/stem ratio.