Northern alfalfa being developed in Canada

Adapting crops to regional production conditions is not a whim, but a necessity Researchers believe the valuable forage crop needs to be adapted for harsh winters as large multinational corporations focus breeding efforts in their largest markets rather than developing high-yielding, winter-hardy varieties for the regions. Dr. Reynold Bergen, scientific director of the Canadian Beef Cattle Research Council, writes about this in an article on the portal www.canadiancattlemen.ca. “Very few alfalfa varieties sold in Canada have been bred under Canadian conditions. The CFIA registered 119 varieties in Canada between 2012 and 2022, but only four (AAC Nikon, AAC Meadowview, AAC Bridgeview and AAC Trueman) have been developed in Canada. The remaining 115 came from breeding programs in China, Australia, California, Washington State, or Wisconsin, where winters tend to be milder than most places in Canada. Survival of alfalfa in winter depends on frost tolerance and autumn dormancy. Frost ...