{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.027292576419213975, 'fraction_numerical': 0.018558951965065504, 'mean_word_length': 5.386759581881533, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
EVALUATING VIGOR, FORAGE PRODUCTION, AND PERSISTENCE OF 11 ALFALFA POPULATIONS IN SEMIARID RANGELAND

There has long been demand for cultivars of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) that can establish and persist in semiarid rangeland. A feral population of predominantly yellow-flowered alfalfa (PYFA) was discovered reproducing naturally in native rangeland on the Grand River National Grassland (GRNG). A comparison of naturally-selected and artificially-selected pasture-type and conventional hay-type alfalfas was made by transplanting seedlings into native and tame grasslands in South Dakota beginning in May 2006. Eight replications, consisting of seven seedlings of each of 11 populations were planted on 1-m centers within each of three 35 m X 35 m native mixed-grass prairie exclosures in northwestern South Dakota. Transplants were hand watered 3 times within 3 weeks after planting. Transplant survival exceeded 90% after eight weeks. However, by late summer 2006 live transplants were difficult to detect. Individual transplant survival, height, flowering, canopy volume, and number of shoots from the crown were examined in mid-July 2007. Overall survival was 70%. PYFA populations had higher survival than conventional hay-types. The naturally selected PYFA population from GRNG had the highest survival rate (93%). About 85% of survivors had flowered in native rangeland and 100% in tame grassland. Pure falcata and PYFA were more productive than conventional alfalfa demonstrating a forage advantage for the former in mixtures with grasses in a delayed-first-harvest system. Results from this preliminary study demonstrate that naturally-selected PYFA populations expressed superior survival and vigor by the second growing season than conventional/pasture-type cultivars when transplanted into semiarid native rangeland.