Since its introduction from Asia in the early 1900s, crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.)Gaertner, A. desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schultes et al.] has had a major impact on the improvement of western rangelands of North America. Most of the early seedings with this cool-season grass were made as monocultures. Present and projected use of rangelands, however, prescribe that future crested wheatgrass cultivars have the genetic potential to be an effective component in a species complex including other grasses, shrubs, and forbs. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of associated alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) on the performance and genetic variability in a 50-clone sample of a tetraploid crested wheatgrass breeding population. Significant (P<0.05) differences were found among the clonal lines for dry matter (DM) yield, nitrogen (N), and N yield. Opportunities for genetic improvement, as indicated by the magnitude of the genetic variation for these characters, was significantly increased when the grasses were grown in association with alfalfa. Significant (P<0.01) and positive correlations of clonal means between stand types indicated that differences among the clonal lines in DM yield, N content, and N yield were relatively consistent when grown with or without alfalfa. These results indicate that initial screening could be effectively done in tetraploid crested wheatgrass in the presence or absence of alfalfa. Final evaluation of breeding lines and experimental strains, however, should be done with alfalfa if the object is to develop cultivars to be grown in combination with that species. (Dillman 1946). It has since had more impact on revegetation of western rangelands in North America than any other grass. Most of the early crested wheatgrass seedings were made as monocultures; however, environmental concerns and multiple demands now made on rangelands dictate that other grass, shrub, and forb species be included in the seeding mix.The beneficial effects of legumes on succeeding crops in a rotation is well documented (Lohnis 1926, Trenbath 1974, Heichel 1987. The positive contribution of nitrogen (N) to this interaction was established in the early 1900s (Fred et al. 1932, Heichel 1987 and will likely have increasing economic impact as the availability of fossil fuels becomes more critical. The major benefits stemming from grass-legume mixtures are related to N transfer from the legume to associated grasses. Nitrogen is released from roots of the legume plant through active or passive release of soluble materials from intact cells, sloughing and decomposition of epidermal cells, lvsis of cells by pathogens, and senescence of nodules and roots (Brophy and Heichel 1989). Nitrogenous compounds secreted into the surrounding soil medium consist of ammonia, glutamate, serine, alanine, and aspartate (Ta et al. 1986). Brophy and Heichel (1989) studied net N release from actively growing root systems of alfalfa ( Medicago saliva L.) and soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.) in an enclosed root...