Alfalfa products and method for producing alfalfa products for a sequential harvesting system

An alfalfa product having a significant improvement of a uniformity of flowering date trait comprising a plurality of alfalfa plants, wherein each alfalfa plant has a plurality of flowering dates, wherein the alfalfa product has a mean flowering date for each of the plurality of flowering dates and a standard deviation measuring an absolute difference of each of the plurality of flowering dates, for each alfalfa plant from a respective mean flowering date, computed from the plurality of flowering dates, wherein the alfalfa product further has a summed standard deviation equal to a sum of the standard deviations of the first four flowering dates of the plurality of flowering dates, and wherein the alfalfa product has a summed standard deviation at least fifteen percent (15%) less than a second summed standard deviation of an alfalfa variety selected from the group consisting of Vernal, Oneida VR and Magnum plus, under substantially similar environmental conditions.

An alfalfa product having a significant improvement of uniformity of a flowering frequency trait comprising a plurality of alfalfa plants wherein the alfalfa product has a preselected flower frequency and wherein a first percentage of the plurality of alfalfa plants having the preselected flower frequency is at least fifteen percent (15%) higher than a second percentage of alfalfa plants having the same flower frequency of any flower frequency of an alfalfa variety selected from the group consisting of Vernal, Magnum plus, WL320 and Saranac, under substantially similar environmental conditions.

An alfalfa product suitable for use in a sequential harvesting system, wherein the alfalfa product further comprises a plurality of varieties each having at least one flowering date, wherein each variety of the plurality of varieties has a mean flowering date for each flowering date of the at least one flowering date, and each mean flowering date of each variety of the plurality of varieties is separated by at least three days from each other mean flowering date of each variety of the plurality of varieties.

An alfalfa product having a significant improvement of a uniformity of flowering date trait comprising a plurality of alfalfa plants, wherein each alfalfa plant has a plurality of flowering dates, wherein the alfalfa product has a plurality of product measures, wherein each product measure is equal to a number of days from an initial flowering day to a day where at least sixty percent (60%) of the plurality of alfalfa plants have flowered, for each respective flowering date of the plurality of flowering dates, wherein a commercial variety P5432 has a plurality of control alfalfa plants having a plurality of control flowering dates, and further has a plurality of control measures of a number of days from a control initial flowering day to a control day where at least sixty percent (60%) of the plurality of control alfalfa plants have flowered, for each respective control flowering date of the plurality of control flowering dates, and wherein the product measure for each flowering date of the plurality of flowering dates is at least two days less than a respective control measure for each control flowering date of the plurality of control flowering dates.