The northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla, is a devastating root parasite of sainfoin Onobrychus viciifolia. Varieties with resistance or tolerance are currently not available. One hundred and seventy six surviving sainfoin plants from a sainfoin variety trial which had survived for 16 months in the presence of M. hapla, were allowed to intercross to produce a seed population (WY-PX1-84). Plants appeared healthy with dark green foliage and good height compared to rogued plants which were severe root galling, stunting and leaf chlorosis. The resulting seed line (WY-PX-84) expressed only tolerance to M. hapla in greenhouse tests with slightly higher shoot and root biomass and lower plant mortality than cultivar Remont.  Evaluation of the world collection of O. viciifolia and other Onobrychus species for resistance proved futile. Forage yields of an advanced seed line (WY-PX-94) were similar to those of Remont at several locations in Wyoming and Montana. Shoshone has similar forage quality and yield as alfalfa but does not cause bloat in ruminant animals. It can also be used for wild life habitat restoration or as a legume component under the Conservation Reserve Program.  WY-PX-94 has been jointly released in 2005 as 'Shoshone' by the Agricultural Experiment Stations of the University of Wyoming and Montana State University, and the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service.