Alfalfa is a high quality forage that is not often utilized in the southeastern United States because of its perceived lack of adaptability to the area. However, the risk of growing alfalfa could be partially mitigate...Alfalfa is a high quality forage that is not often utilized in the southeastern United States because of its perceived lack of adaptability to the area. However, the risk of growing alfalfa could be partially mitigated by its inclusion into an existing bermudagrass system that makes up a large portion of pastures and hay fields in Mississippi. Alfalfa was planted into an existing bermudagrass hay field at a rate of 17, 22, 28 and 39 kg·ha-1 in no-till and minimum till sod preparation and analyzed for three growing seasons. Tillage did not affect any of the variables observed but seeding rate and time affected DM (dry matter) yield, forage nutritive value and plot composition. The increasing alfalfa seeding rate increased alfalfa yield in the plot but this was isolated to only the first year. Dry matter yields decreased over the three years due to the decrease in alfalfa composition, but throughout the growing season DM yields increased after the first year suggesting bermudagrass recolonization within the plot. Forage nutritive value was positively affected with as little as 20% of the plot composed of alfalfa suggesting that even thinning stands by the third year might offer economic advantages.展开更多
Background:The incorporation of legumes,specifically alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.),into bermudagrass(Cynodon spp.)-based pasture systems in the southeastern United States has increased in recent years as an alternative ...Background:The incorporation of legumes,specifically alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.),into bermudagrass(Cynodon spp.)-based pasture systems in the southeastern United States has increased in recent years as an alternative to synthetic nitrogen(N)fertilization.Methods:A small plot evaluation was conducted in Shorter,Alabama,and Tifton,Georgia,USA,to evaluate the impact of harvest height(HH)and harvest frequency(HF)on agronomic characteristics of alfalfa+bermudagrass mixtures in southeastern United States.Results:Results from both locations revealed that the longer the HF and the shorter the HH,the greater the alfalfa retention was in the stand(p<0.01).HH did not impact any of the reported nutritive value parameters,while longer HF resulted in lower total digestible nutrients,lower crude protein,higher acid detergent fiber,and lower 48 h in vitro dry matter digestibility(p<0.01).Both HH and HF impacted forage accumulation at both locations(p<0.01).HH resulted in different trends at each location,while longer frequencies generally increased forage accumulation.Conclusions:This research confirmed recent findings from comparable evaluations in the southeastern United States,in that increasing HH and decreasing HF improved alfalfa retention while having a negligible effect on nutritive value or forage accumulation.展开更多
文摘Alfalfa is a high quality forage that is not often utilized in the southeastern United States because of its perceived lack of adaptability to the area. However, the risk of growing alfalfa could be partially mitigated by its inclusion into an existing bermudagrass system that makes up a large portion of pastures and hay fields in Mississippi. Alfalfa was planted into an existing bermudagrass hay field at a rate of 17, 22, 28 and 39 kg·ha-1 in no-till and minimum till sod preparation and analyzed for three growing seasons. Tillage did not affect any of the variables observed but seeding rate and time affected DM (dry matter) yield, forage nutritive value and plot composition. The increasing alfalfa seeding rate increased alfalfa yield in the plot but this was isolated to only the first year. Dry matter yields decreased over the three years due to the decrease in alfalfa composition, but throughout the growing season DM yields increased after the first year suggesting bermudagrass recolonization within the plot. Forage nutritive value was positively affected with as little as 20% of the plot composed of alfalfa suggesting that even thinning stands by the third year might offer economic advantages.
基金National Institute of Food and Agriculture,Grant/Award Number:2017-70005-27089。
文摘Background:The incorporation of legumes,specifically alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.),into bermudagrass(Cynodon spp.)-based pasture systems in the southeastern United States has increased in recent years as an alternative to synthetic nitrogen(N)fertilization.Methods:A small plot evaluation was conducted in Shorter,Alabama,and Tifton,Georgia,USA,to evaluate the impact of harvest height(HH)and harvest frequency(HF)on agronomic characteristics of alfalfa+bermudagrass mixtures in southeastern United States.Results:Results from both locations revealed that the longer the HF and the shorter the HH,the greater the alfalfa retention was in the stand(p<0.01).HH did not impact any of the reported nutritive value parameters,while longer HF resulted in lower total digestible nutrients,lower crude protein,higher acid detergent fiber,and lower 48 h in vitro dry matter digestibility(p<0.01).Both HH and HF impacted forage accumulation at both locations(p<0.01).HH resulted in different trends at each location,while longer frequencies generally increased forage accumulation.Conclusions:This research confirmed recent findings from comparable evaluations in the southeastern United States,in that increasing HH and decreasing HF improved alfalfa retention while having a negligible effect on nutritive value or forage accumulation.
