Best known as an animal feed, alfalfa Medicago sativa is one of the most important and widely produced livestock crops grown throughout the temperate world.

Alfalfa and Relatives: Evolution and Classification of Medicago provides an in-depth introduction to the Medicago genus, exploring its evolution, breeding and adaptation. Alfalfa's agricultural and environmental benefits are unsurpassed; due to recent technological advances, this staple crop is also now being developed as a source of human food extracts, pharmaceuticals, enzymes, industrial chemicals, and...