Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) is a forage legume of great interest because of its role in milk production schemes. Although it has the potential to be cultivated in different edaphoclimatic regions, the fodder production in tropical regions is limited. The objectives of this study were to perform phenotypic and molecular characterization of alfalfa germplasm, to examine the relationship between dissimilarity based on phenotypic and molecular information and to identify the germplasm with potential to generate base populations adapted to tropical conditions. The genetic values of nine traits from seventy-seven alfalfa accessions of a genetic background amenable to a temperate climate were obtained to characterize phenotypic diversity, and microsatellite markers were used to assess molecular diversity. Phenotypic information based on joint deviance analysis revealed the presence of genetic diversity. The correlation between the dissimilarity matrices of genetic values and molecular data was low. Based on phenotypic and molecular data, a great base population would be composed of Pro INTA Patricia, Pro INTA Super Monarca, Mecha, Magna 601, WL 525, ACA 900, Bacana, CUF 101, Crioula, and Ruano. These populations have at least 50 distinct parents, presented high dry matter yield, besides favorable alleles for regrowth ability, biomass yield, and persistence. The genetic variability observed for most traits indicates a high potential for the development of alfalfa base populations adapted to the tropical condition. Once adapted synthetic alfalfa populations are selected, they may be integrated into breeding programs in other tropical regions of the world.

中文翻译：

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探索巴西用于热带生产的苜蓿多样性

紫花苜蓿 (Medicago sativa L.) 是一种备受关注的牧草豆类，因为它在牛奶生产计划中发挥着重要作用。虽然它具有在不同土壤气候区种植的潜力，但热带地区的饲料产量有限。本研究的目的是对苜蓿种质进行表型和分子表征，根据表型和分子信息检查差异之间的关系，并确定具有产生适应热带条件的基础种群潜力的种质。获得了来自适合温带气候的遗传背景的 77 个苜蓿种质的 9 个性状的遗传值来表征表型多样性，并使用微卫星标记来评估分子多样性。基于联合偏差分析的表型信息揭示了遗传多样性的存在。遗传值差异矩阵与分子数据之间的相关性较低。根据表型和分子数据，Pro INTA Patricia、Pro INTA Super Monarca、Mecha、Magna 601、WL 525、ACA 900、Bacana、CUF 101、Crioula 和 Ruano 组成了一个很好的基础群体。这些种群至少有 50 个不同的亲本，除了具有再生能力、生物量产量和持久性的有利等位基因外，还具有较高的干物质产量。对于大多数性状观察到的遗传变异性表明适应热带条件的苜蓿基地种群的发展潜力很大。一旦选择了适应的合成苜蓿种群，