Forage productivity and quality are the most significant traits of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The objective of that study was to compare the photosynthetic properties of some trifoliolate and multifoliolate alfalfa genotypes. Plants were selected at the Institute of Agriculture and Seed Science "Obraztsov chiflik" -Ruse. MF23 multifoliolate alfalfa line and the two trifoliolate ones with high and low productivity and standard variety Prista 2 were investigated. The studied fluorescence

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... ters indicate the lack of differences between low and high yield alfalfa trifoliolate populations irrespective of their different productivity, while MF23 shows enhanced PSII down-regulation, which relates to a higher potential to adjust MF23 to environmental changes. Better adjustment to the environment is one of the factors that determine higher productivity of MF23 in comparison to multifoliolate alfalfa plants studied previously.