Hall, New York, USA
March 17, 2015
The recent release of three new Cornell University alfalfa varieties, which are being brought to market by SEEDWAY, is the latest chapter in the long relationship between SEEDWAY and Cornell’s plant breeding programs. For over fifty years SEEDWAY has collaborated with Cornell to produce and commercialize many of the innovative and adapted products they have developed. Over time the collaboration has included vegetables, corn inbreds, cereal grains, forages and most notably alfalfa.
After World War II, professors Carl Lowe and Royce Murphy made Cornell one fo the elite forage breeding programs in the country, and Bill Pardee, Don Viands ad Julie Hansen continued the tradition up to present day. Introducing such legendary varieties as Iriquois, Saranac AR, Onieda VR, and Guardsman alfalfa, the program has been a source of premium genetics for Northeast growers. Regen, Ezra, N-R-Gee are more recent releases that exhibit unique-to-Cornell genetics, root regeneration capacity. By carefully selecting seedlings that have had tap roots manually severed and then regenerated roots, this attribute increases stand life if the tap root suffers mechanical, heaving, or pest damage in the field.
Following in the tradition of Oneida VR, which was the first alfalfa bred to resist Verticillium Wilt, a fungal disease which was devastating alfalfa stands across the northeast, SW 9558 SBR is a Cornell response to a local challenge. In this case, alfalfa snout beetle, a voracious pest inadvertently imported from Europe and found in Northern New York and eastern Ontario. With a limited geographic impact this pest is not a consideration for other breeding programs, only Cornell’s plant breeding and entomology departments have brought an innovative solution to New York farmers.
SW 315 LH alfalfa is the product of two decades of breeding to bring a highly resistant leaf hopper alfalfa with regional northeast adaptation and strong yields to fruition. It is a good choice for growers who value genetic resistance to leaf hoppers. This resistance reduces or eliminates the need to spray insecticides for control.
SW 215 CR alfalfa is the final release of Dr. Murphy who continued to contribute to the program well into his 90’s. It is a regionally adapted creeping root alfalfa best suited to long term grazing acres. Its ability to spread by adventitious stems makes it a unique and valuable option for many Northeast acres.
Not limited to alfalfa, the Cornell program released many other notable forage varieties such as Saratoga brome grass, Chazy timothy, and more recently Peak brome and Pardee Trefoil.
SEEDWAY is proud to have the opportunity to work with Cornell to bring Northeast growers locally bred, regionally adapted genetics, and looks forward to continuing the tradition.
Headquartered in Hall, NY, SEEDWAY, LLC operates nine locations in five states from Vermont to Florida. A full-line seed company, marketing farm and turf seed in fourteen Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and vegetable seed from the US Rocky Mountains to the east coast and the southern provinces of Canada, SEEDWAY, LLC is a subsidiary of GROWMARK, Inc., Bloomington, IL.
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