In a three-year study, eight genetically divergent alfalfa cultivars produced an average of 16.2 t/ha of dry matter (DM). The highest-yielding genotypes (above 17 t per ha) were the recently developed cultivar Rasinka and the experimental genotype NS 11/4. The cultivars Leninskaja and Sinskaja had highest crude protein concentrations (21.2 and 21.0 per cent, respectively). Although dry matter energy value was fairly uniform, one cultivar, Zarnica, stood out in this regard with net energy of lactation 66 MJ per kg of dry matter, or net energy of maintenance 5.41 MJ per kg of DM. The P and K concentrations were low (0.24 and 1.50 per cent, respectively), while the concentration of Ca was medium (1.65 per cent).