ABSTRACT
Kauke: A new alfalfa cultivar with high persistence and productivity in the Mediterranean drylands of Chile

Luis Inostroza1*, Carlos Ovalle1, Paulina Etcheverría2, Viviana Barahona3, Soledad Espinoza1, Gerson Monzón1, and Alejandro del Pozo4
 
Mediterranean dryland environments are among the most threatened by climate change. The objective of this work was to report the agronomic value of ‘Kauke’, a new alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivar developed by INIA’s Alfalfa Breeding Program for the Mediterranean drylands of Chile. ‘Kauke’ was developed using a within-family selection method from an interspecific hybrid between M. sativa and M. arborea L. Multi-location trials were established across five sites representing a gradient of dryland environments. Results showed that ‘Kauke’ exhibited a highly significant Genotype × Location interaction. In the most stressed environments (Cauquenes and Portezuelo), ‘Kauke’ produced 40% more forage yield than control cultivars (ACB650 and WL903). Furthermore, ‘Kauke’ demonstrated superior persistence, maintaining a plant density 40% higher than control cultivars after three growing seasons in drought-prone areas. Categorized as a semi-dormant type (Fall Dormancy 7), ‘Kauke’ represents a strategic breakthrough for adapting rainfed agriculture to new climatic scenarios in central-south Chile.
Key words: Drought tolerance, interspecific hybrid, Medicago sativa, persistence, rainfed agriculture.
1Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA Quilamapu, Chillán, Chile.
2Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA Carillanca, Vilcún, Chile.
3Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA Raihuén, Villa Alegre, Chile.
4Universidad de Talca, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Talca, Chile.
*Corresponding author (linostroza@inia.cl).
Received: 20 May 2026; Accepted: 11 August 2026, Available online: 7 September 2026.