Drought is one of the abiotic stresses that reduces agricultural
production in the Mediterranean basin. The selection of crop
varieties with performance adapted to water stress has been
the subject of numerous studies. In this context, 16 alfalfa
(
Medicago sativa
L.) cultivars from different origins (Algeria,
Australia, France, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, and the United
States) were studied under two water regimes (irrigated and
rainfed) in the Lower-Cheliff plain of Algeria. The trials
focused on the performance of these cultivars according to
eight drought tolerance indices. To achieve this, DM yields
and water use efficiency (WUE) of a 2-yr experimental study
were used. Results showed a regression in mean yields from
the third to the fourth year with stress indices of 0.29 and
0.88, respectively. The study of correlations showed that DM
yields were well correlated to mean production (MP) and
the stress tolerance index (STI). For the two trials and based
on yield and STI index, ‘Mamuntanas’, ‘Ameristand 801S’,
‘Erfoud 1’ and ‘Ecotipo siciliano’ had the best performance.
However, ‘Coussouls’, ‘Magali’, ‘Prosementi’, ‘Africaine’,
and ‘Gabès-2355’ performed poorly. Discriminant function
analysis showed that the variables that discriminated in the
cultivar groups for yield in the irrigated trial were modified
STI, WUE, and the superiority index (Pi). The ANOVA
test of cumulative yield and the regression rate confirmed
that under environmental conditions similar to the Lower-
Cheliff plain, ‘Mamuntanas’, ‘Ameristand 801S’, ‘Erfoud
1’, and ‘Ecotipo siciliano’ were perennial and performed
under irrigated conditions while ‘Erfoud 1’ performed in the
rainfed trial.
