XVI International Botanical Congess

Meticago sativa falcata is a common form of alfalfa grown worldwide due to adaptability to different conditions. M. sativa falcata contains different ploidy levels. Cultivars used were two 2X varieties from the Russian Federation and Germany and two 4X varieties from Italy and Romania. Custom built growth chambers were used to visually compare physiological characteristics. The tetraploid showed significantly higher growth rate, plant size, and leaf abundance with apparent dependance on seed size. Genetic markers were identified for both 2X and 4X samples using intersimple sequence repeats(ISSR). Genetic variation was detected between diploid and tetraploid individuals, as well as locational differences.