Evaluation of alfalfa cultivars and estimates of repeatability coefficientof forage traits

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of 42 cultivars of alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) and to estimate the repeatability coeffici ent for dry matter production, leaf and stem protein content and disease to lerance features during the dry (April to September) and rainy (October to March) seasons with six cuts. Dry matter yield and leaf protein content pre sented significant variation in both seasons, although stem protein content and tolerance to diseases were different only during the dry season. Culti vars Crioula and Cibola had the best performance in most features. In gener al, the repeatability coefficient showed a low magnitude estimate (below 0, 40). Regarding dry matter production, the cultivars showed similar behavior in both seasons, with repeatability coefficient ranging from 0.3195 to 0.4 270, genotypic determination around 65% and the possibility to predict the real value after seven to nine cuts.