The objective of this study was to develop population hybrids by crossing five ALFALFA cultivars of different geographic origin (Ghareh Yonjeh, Hamedani and Mahalie-Esfahan from Iran, Elchi from Turkey and Ordobad from Azerbaijan) and assessment of combining ability among them using diallel analysis. A half diallel was performed during 2012 between the selected cultivars. For each pairwise cross, ten plants were chosen at random to obtain F1 generation. Heterotic responses were determined by evaluation forage YIELD of the cultivars and their 10 half-diallel hybrids in seeded plots that were harvested three times in each of 2 years (2014 and 2015). Variation among crosses was attributed primarily to general combining ability (GCA) effects. However, specific combining ability (SCA) effects were also significant. Mid-parent heterosis ranged from 7. 1% in the Elchi x Hamedani to-9. 9 % in the Ghareh Yonjeh x Mahalie-Esfahan and high-parent heterosis ranged from 3. 4 % in the Elchi x Hamedani to-16. 7% Ghareh Yonjeh x Mahalie-Esfahan. Results indicated that Elchi cultivar could be considered as a member of a potential heterotic group for adapted cultivars (Ghareh Yonjeh and Hamedani) to the studied environment.

Twenty eight native ALFALFA populations and two improved cultivars were used to estabilish a polycross nursery. Leaf number per seedling, length of longest stem, cotyledon length and width, unifoliate internode length, and leaf blade length and width were measured on over 2000 individual 30-days old seedlings. The seedlings were transplanted to the field, and individual plant’s fresh and dry weight (IPFW, IPDW), number of shoots per plant (NS) and plant height (PH) were measured on 900 plants in four harvests. Days until 50% flowering, percentage of ground cover, fresh and dry weight of leaves/plant ratio, and size of trifoliate leaves were also measured in experimental plots. Narrow sense heritability values based on individual plant measurement(HI) and on plot mean basis(H2) were calculated. For each trait, HI was usually lower than the corresponding values of H2, and these differences were more obvious for mature plant heritabilities. The heritability values for the seedling traits were higher than mature plant traits. Among mature plant traits PH and NS had the highest and lowest heritability values, respectively. Among seedling traits the highest heritability belonged to cotyledon length.

In order to investigate the possibility of quinoa producing in Garmsar, Iran, a factorial experiment conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications in 2018-2019 growing season at Garmsar Agricultural Research Station. The factors were planting date at three levels (March 6th, April 1st and April 6th) and the three genotypes of quinoa (Q26, Q29 and Titicaca). Results showed that the effect of planting date was significant for all studied traits except the harvest index. Also, all studied traits were significantly different in all genotypes. Titicaca planted on March 6th had the highest YIELD (2276 kg.ha-1).The grain YIELD and YIELD components decreased with the delaying the planting date. Compared to early plantings, Latest date, April 6th, led to reduction of all traits, especially grain YIELD (about 50%). The results of simple phenotypic correlation between the studied traits showed that grain YIELD per hectare had the highest correlation with plant YIELD (0.877) and then with leaf area index (0.832), panicle weight (0.815) and number of branches per plant (0.745) that was significant at the 1% probability level.

In order to study the determination of forage YIELD of ALFALFA (Hamedani cultivar) under different planting densities, this experiment was conducted at Iran in 2011. Field experiment was carried out by a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications. The factor which studied was planting densities (10 (P1), 15 (P2) and 20 (P3) cm plant on row). The results showed that planting density had significant effect on forage YIELD, lateral stem number, stem diameter and plant height. Means compression showed that highest forage YIELD was achieved by P1 and also highest lateral stem number, stem diameter and plant height were achieved by P3. The results this experiment showed that planting density is important effective factor on quantity and quality YIELD of plants that that can affect on quantity YIELD of ALFALFA.

About 7200 ha of farm lands in Qom Province is cultivated to ALFALFA, and about 60 percent of the lands have salinity problems. Therefore, it is neccessary to indentify the most salt tolerant ALFALFA cultivars for higher forage production under these conditions. Consequently, an experiment was carried out with five ALFALFA cultivars (Hamadani, Yazdi, Bami, Rahnani and Seriver) and three replications in three farms in Qomrood area with water salinities of 5, 7 and 10.5 dS/m, and soil surface salinities of 7.4, 9.2 and 13.4 dS/m. The experimental design was RCBD. Due to high salinity of soil and water in the third farm, none of the ALFALFA cultivars germinated . The results showed that there were significant differences between ALFALFA cultivars in the YIELD and quality of forage and morphological characteristices. Also, the results of combined analysis showed that the effect of year was significant. In Kashipoor Farm maximum average YIELD of fresh forage and dry matter were, respectively, 57.8 and 17.1 t/ha in 1999. In Abedini Farm, the maximum fresh YIELDs were 44.2 and 43.1 for 1999 and 2000, respectively. Among ALFALFA cultivars, Yazdi and Hamadani cultivars were the superior cultivars, and produced the highest fresh and dry forage YIELDs at both farms. Therefor they can be recommended as suitable cultivars for Qom Province.

Study of morphological and agronomic characters affecting forage YIELD of four local (Hamadani, Bami, Yazdi and Ghara Yonjeh) and three improved (Euwer, Pearce and Pioneer 581) ALFALFA cultivars, was carried out in field at spn Experimental Station in Karaj in 1996-97 growing seasan. The design of the experiment was split plot in time which replicated 4 times. In general, at lower productivity potential, local cultivars showed priority to non local cvs. However, as procblctivity potential improved, improved cultivars showed better adptation and produced higher forage YIELD. The results of the experiment revealed that cultivars were statistically different in fresh YIELD, dry matter YIELD, YIELD per shoot, different plant organ dry matter, regrowth rate, first flowering node, plant hieght, number of nodes in main stem, length of internodes in the main stem, number of stems per area, length and width of leaflet, main and lateral branches of main stem. Forage YIELD was higher in first harvest and percentage of dry matter produced in first, seconde and third harvests were 36.30, 33.68 and 27.45 respectively. Among the cultivars, Pioneer 581 and Hamadani showed superiority, concerning many morphological and agronomic characteristics, which resulted in production of higher YIELDs and could be recommended as suitable cultivars for karaj area.

Purpose: Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is one of the predominant fruit trees grown in oases ecosystems (Southern Mediterranean regions) and produces several wastes during practicing cultivation since fruit and bunch thinning is frequently applied. Yet, the valorization of date palm wastes as bioresources has received little attention. The main objective for the present research is to assess palm trees compost (P-compost) as organic fertilizer for ALFALFA (Medicago sativa L.).Methods: The experiment was carried out in an experimental field involving four replicates and three soil amendment treatments (1) control, conventional mineral fertilizer diammonium phosphate, (2) 30 t ha-1 of cow manure, and (3) 30 t ha-1 of palm tree compost (P-compost). Plots were planted on with ALFALFA and the measurements of studied traits (growth, YIELD, seed YIELD and minerals uptake) were determined for two crop seasons (2010 and 2011).Results: Compared with untreated soil, the palm compost application at 30 t ha-1 improved significantly both organic matter and water retention capacity of the soil and decreased the electrical conductivity (- 70%).Furthermore, palm compost supply significantly increased fresh biomass production of ALFALFA by 21 and 28%, respectively, during the first and second seasons. Also, it enhanced the grain YIELD and growth rate (stem length and leafs expansion) of this species. At the first crop season, the palm compost application had a positive impact on minerals nutrition compared to the control treatment, with improving rates of? 32% for phosphorus,? 25% for potassium and? 6% for nitrogen. In addition, these contents were higher than in plants grown under cow manure amendment. However, at the second season, the palm compost improved only P and N contents.Conclusions: This preliminary finding suggests that palm compost at moderate dose (30 t ha-1) could be highly beneficial for forage plant YIELD.

To evaluate the quality and quantity of forage YIELD of seventeen cold region ALFALFA ecotypes, this experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications in Karaj, for two years (2008-10). Chemical components of forage were measured by AOAC methods. Based on the results of combined analysis of variance, ecotypes were significantly different at 1% probability level for fresh forage YIELD and at 5% for dry forage YIELD and leaf to stem ratio. However interaction effects of ecotype×year were not significant for fresh and dry forage YIELDs. Ecotypes were also significantly different for neutral detergent fiber (N.D.F.) at 1% and for crude protein (C.P.), dry matter digestibility (D.M.D.), organic matter digestibility (O.M.D.) and ash at 5% probability levels. Ecotype×year interaction was significant for N.D.F. at 5% and for D.M.D. and O.M.D. at 1% probability levels. The highest fresh forage YIELD and dry forage YIELD (61.3 and 16.4 tha-1, respectively) were obtained from ecotype Gharaaghaj. The highest C.P. (17.73%) was achieved from ecotype Chaleshtar, N.D.F. (50.43%) from Silvaneh, A.D.F. (35.33%) from Silvaneh, D.M.D. (62.98%) from Ordoubad, O.M.D. (59.89%) from Ordoubad and Ash (9.92%) from Silvaneh. Ecotypes Gharaaghaj with 2.79, Sahandava with 2.67, and Garaghouzlou with 2.68 tha-1 had the highest protein YIELD.

Optimum plant nutrition has an important role in improving its growth and YIELD and increasing the inputs use efficiency. The current study was performed with the aim of evaluating the effect of various fertilizer sources, including biofertilizer containing the Rhizobium meliloti, sea weed extract, fertilizer containing micronutrients and urea on growth and YIELD of ALFALFA during 2015 at Varamin complex of agriculture and animal husbandry as factorial experiment in the form of complete randomized design with three replications. Results showed that foliar application of urea and soil application of biofertilizer did not have a significant effect on growth and YIELD of ALFALFA. Whereas, foliar application of sea weed extract and multimill fertilizer (containing micronutrients) resulted in increasing the hay YIELD of ALFALFA by 12. 7 and 24. 7%, respectively. Furthermore, foliar application of micronutrient had a greater effect on hay YIELD of ALFALFA than the sea weed extract, as the YIELD increment resulted from foliar application of micronutrient was 12 percent more than that obtained from foliar application of sea weed extract. Therefore, results of this study showed that foliar application of sea weed extract and fertilizer containing micronutrients can increase the YIELD and inputs use efficiency of ALFALFA through improving its growth parameters and production of higher dry matter per unit of inputs used by plant.