Morphological and physiological traits for yield in lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) under irrigated condition

Abstract

A field experiment was laid out in RBD at SRRS, ICAR-IGFRI, Dharwad, from December 2019 to January 2021to screen lucerne genotypes under irrigated conditions. Morphological traits like plant height and the number of brancheswere higher in genotypes A2×WC(D-4), Anand-2, and ACC45/2010 under irrigated conditions. A2×WC(D-4) and Anand-2also maintained good persistence, resulting in higher fresh biomass. A significant correlation was noticed between freshbiomass and an increase in the number of branches at harvest and persistence (r = 0.63* and 0.63* respectively). Anand 2recorded the highest chlorophyll and carotenoid content. Photosynthetic rate and conductance recorded a significantcorrelation with fresh biomass (r = 0.51* and 0.71** respectively)under irrigation. At 12 MAS, the crown diameter wasprominent in varieties that recorded high biomass viz., Anand-2, A2×WC(D-4), and ACC45/2010. Hence, themorphophysiological traits like the number of branches during the juvenile phase, persistence percentage, photosynthesisand conductance, and crown diameter at 12 MAS can be used for screening lucerne genotypes for high biomass underirrigated conditions.