The pasture potential of alfalfa
Eliza Gaweł
iung@iung.pulawy.plZakład Uprawy Roślin Pastewnych, Instytut Uprawy Nawożenia i Gleboznawstwa, Puławy (Poland)
Abstract
There are some foreign and few domestic reports on pastures use of alfalfa either as pure stands or as mixtures with grasses. Grazing mixtures is a common farming practice in many countries but still little known in our country. This type of managing mixtures on arable lands is not widespread in Europe, either. According to literature annual alfalfa species were initially used for grazing. Afterwards perennial alfalfa cultivars for grazing were developed. In the opinion of many authors the adaptation of alfalfa cultivars to grazing management relies on their morphology. The plants of pasture cultivars are characterized with a branchy habit, well developed root crowns, a large number of shoots, increased regrowth of vegetative organs from the root crowns, high persistence, grazing and trampling tolerance. Among important issues related to the grazing management of alfalfa-grass mixtures main attention in the study was paid to the choice of mixture components, yields, nutritional value, persistence, morphology, content of antinutritional substances, rate of digestion of alfalfa biomass, and length of grazing period.
Keywords:
alfalfa, chemical composition, fibre fractions, morphology, persistence, quality of forage, use for grazingReferences
Alboudi A., Angervain M., Prosperi J. M., Monsat P. 1994. Cutting management and genotype effects on yield and dry matter rate in Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 83 — 84.
Google Scholar
Andrzejewska J., Harasimowicz-Herman G. 1997. Lucerna — problemy badawcze w świetle północno-amerykańskich konferencji naukowych (NAAIC). Fragm. Agron. 1 (53): 94 — 101.
Google Scholar
Basigalup D. H., Castell C. V., Giaveno C. D. 1996. Breeding a bloat-tolerant alfalfa in Argentina. Report of the thirty-fifth North American alfalfa improvement conference. Radisson Inn Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 31.
Google Scholar
Berardo N., Gnocchi G., Scotti C. 1994. The role of the Lucerne nutritive value improvement/fibre and crude protein content. EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 135 — 138.
Google Scholar
Bitman S., McCartney D. H. 1994. Evaluating alfalfa cultivars and germplasms for pastures using the mobgrazing technique. Can. J. Plant Sci. (74): 109 — 114.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4141/cjps94-019
Google Scholar
Bouton J. H. 1996. Breeding for grazing tolerance in alfalfa. Report of the thirty-fifth North American alfalfa improvement conference.: 12.
Google Scholar
Bouton J. H., Smith S. R., Wood D.T., Hoveland C. S., Brumer E. C. 1991. Registration of ALFAGRAZE alfalfa. Crop. Sci. (31): 479.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1991.0011183X003100020052x
Google Scholar
Brummer E. C., Bouton J. H. 1991. Plant traits associated with grazing tolerant alfalfa. Agron. J. (83): 996 — 999.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1991.00021962008300060014x
Google Scholar
Chaabane A. A., Delgado Enguita I. 1994. Characterization of rhizomatous-rooted lucerne’s. EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 70 — 72.
Google Scholar
Charrier X., Emile J. C., Guy P. 1993. Recherches de génotypes de luzerne adapte au pâturage. Fourrages. (135): 507 — 510.
Google Scholar
Coulman B., Majak W., McAllister T., Berg B., McCartney D., Cheng K. J., Hall J., Goplen B. 1996. Reduced bloat incidence in grazing trials of alfalfa selected for low initial rate of digestion (LIRD). Report of the thirty-fifth North American alfalfa improvement conference: 13.
Google Scholar
Coulman B., Goplen B., Majak W., McAllister T., Cheng K. J., Berg B., Hall J., McCartney D., Acharya S. 2000. A review of the development of bloat-reduced alfalfa cultivar. Can. J. Plant Sci. 80 (3): 487 — 491.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4141/P99-087
Google Scholar
Counce P. A., Bouton J. H., Brown R. H. 1984. Screening and characterizing alfalfa for persistence under mowing and continuous grazing. Crop Sci. (24): 282 — 285.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1984.0011183X002400020017x
Google Scholar
Ćwintal H., Warda M. 2001. Przydatność lucerny siewnej (Medicago satiwa L.) do mieszanek na pastwiska dla bydła. Pam. Puł. (125): 225 — 232.
Google Scholar
Emile J. C., Genier G., Guy P. 1993. Valorisation par des vaches laitières de 2 génotypes de luzerne. Fourrages. (134): 255 — 258.
Google Scholar
Emile J. J., Traineau R. 1993. Effet de la variabilitè gènètique sur la digestibilitè in vivo de la luzerne. Fourrages. (134): 251 — 254.
Google Scholar
Etienne M. 1994. Changes from 1985 to 1993, in the role of lucerne in a mediterranean forage system. EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 41–43.
Google Scholar
Gaweł E. 1987. Comparaison en regime de fauche et de pâture d’une luzerne rampante et d’une luzerne derssée. Rapportde stage. INRA Lusignan, Francja.
Google Scholar
Gaweł E. 1997. Plonowanie mieszanek lucerny z trawami w użytkowaniu kośnym i pastwiskowym. Biul. Oc. Odm. (29): 161 — 165.
Google Scholar
Gaweł E. 2000 a. Ocena przydatności mieszanek lucerny z trawami do użytkowania pastwiskowego. Cz. I. Plonowanie i skład botaniczny. Pam. Puł. (121):67 — 82.
Google Scholar
Gaweł E. 2000 b. Ocena przydatności mieszanek lucerny z trawami do użytkowania pastwiskowego. Cz. II. Rozwój łanu mieszanek. Pam. Puł. (121): 83 — 100.
Google Scholar
Gaweł E. 2001 c. Ocena przydatności mieszanek lucerny z trawami do użytkowania pastwiskowego. Cz. III. Budowa morfologiczna, trwałość i odrastanie roślin lucerny. Pam. Puł. (126): 35 — 51.
Google Scholar
Gaweł E. 2001. Produkcyjność i wartość pokarmowa mieszanek lucerny z trawami w warunkach użytkowania pastwiskowego. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Rol. (479): 57 — 64.
Google Scholar
Hijano E. H., Romero N. A. 1996. Grazing alfalfa in Argentina. Report of the thirty-fifth North American alfalfa improvement conference. Radisson Inn Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 71.
Google Scholar
Juan N. T., Romero N. A. 1994. Role of alfalfa pastures in beef production systems in the subhumid Pampean Region of Argentina. Report of the thirty-fourth North American alfalfa improvement conference. University of Guelph. Ontario. Canada.: 140.
Google Scholar
Lemaire G., Genier G., Lila M. 1994. Growth dynamics and digestibility of two genotypes of lucerne having different morphology. EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 75–77.
Google Scholar
Louault F., Soussana S., Philipot S. 1994. Morphological evolution of Lucerne (M. Sativa) plants in grazing conditions. EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 85 –88.
Google Scholar
Mauriés M. 1994. La luzerne aujourd’hui. Editions France Agricole. Noisy-le-Grand.
Google Scholar
Mauriés M., Paillat J. 1997. Culture et utilization de la luzernr: pratiques des éleveurs de bovin du center de la Charente. Fourrages. (149): 69 — 79.
Google Scholar
Nouvelle variétés de plantes fourragères proposes à l’inscription sur la liste A du catalogue français. 1998. GEVES. La Minière. Guyancourt.
Google Scholar
Piano E., Valentini P., Pecetti L. 1994. Some observations on the morpho-physiological variation in grazing-type Lucerne. EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 67 — 69.
Google Scholar
Popp J. D., McCaughey W. P., Cohen R. D. H. 1997. Effect of grazing system, stocking rate and season of use on herbage intake and grazing behaviour of stocker cattle grazing alfalfa-grass pastures. Can. J. Anim. Sci. (77): 677 — 682.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4141/A96-125
Google Scholar
Romero N. A., Juan N., Castell C. V., Gonzalez A. D. 1994. Effect of the length of the grazing period on persistence and yield of alfalfa cultivars differing in fall dormancy. Report of the thirty-fourth North American alfalfa improvement conference. University of Guelph. Ontario. Canada.: 130.
Google Scholar
Smith S. R., Bouton J. H., Hoveland C. S. 1989. Alfalfa persistence and regrowth potential under continuous grazing. Agron. J. (81): 960 — 965.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1989.00021962008100060023x
Google Scholar
Smith S. R., Bouton J. H., Hoveland C. S. 1992. Persistence of alfalfa under continuous grazing in pure stand and in mixtures with tall fescue. Crop. Sci. (32): 1259 — 1264.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1992.0011183X003200050039x
Google Scholar
Talamucci P. 1994. Lucerne role in farming systems, technical itineraries and managements for different uses in diverse physical and socioeconomic environments. Cutting management and dry matter rate in Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). EUCARPIA/FAO Roma. REUR technical series (36): 6 — 17.
Google Scholar
Van Keuren R. W., Matches A. G. 1988. Alfalfa and alfalfa improvement. Pasture production and utilization. Series Agronomy. (29): 515 — 538.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronmonogr29.c16
Google Scholar
Authors
Eliza Gawełiung@iung.pulawy.pl
Zakład Uprawy Roślin Pastewnych, Instytut Uprawy Nawożenia i Gleboznawstwa, Puławy Poland
Statistics
Abstract views: 62PDF downloads: 36
License
Copyright (c) 2003 Eliza Gaweł
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Upon submitting the article, the Authors grant the Publisher a non-exclusive and free license to use the article for an indefinite period of time throughout the world in the following fields of use:
- Production and reproduction of copies of the article using a specific technique, including printing and digital technology.
- Placing on the market, lending or renting the original or copies of the article.
- Public performance, exhibition, display, reproduction, broadcasting and re-broadcasting, as well as making the article publicly available in such a way that everyone can access it at a place and time of their choice.
- Including the article in a collective work.
- Uploading an article in electronic form to electronic platforms or otherwise introducing an article in electronic form to the Internet or other network.
- Dissemination of the article in electronic form on the Internet or other network, in collective work as well as independently.
- Making the article available in an electronic version in such a way that everyone can access it at a place and time of their choice, in particular via the Internet.
Authors by sending a request for publication:
- They consent to the publication of the article in the journal,
- They agree to give the publication a DOI (Digital Object Identifier),
- They undertake to comply with the publishing house's code of ethics in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), (http://ihar.edu.pl/biblioteka_i_wydawnictwa.php),
- They consent to the articles being made available in electronic form under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, in open access,
- They agree to send article metadata to commercial and non-commercial journal indexing databases.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Eliza Gaweł, The effect of the first cut date on the yield, rate of dry matter increase and yield structure in some lucerne cultivars , Bulletin of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute: No. 237/238 (2005): Regular issue
- Eliza Gaweł, Janusz Żurek, Nutritional value of selected lucerne cultivars , Bulletin of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute: No. 225 (2003): Special issue
- Janusz Żurek, Eliza Gaweł, Rumen effective dry matter degradation of lucerne depending on harvest data of the first cut , Bulletin of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute: No. 225 (2003): Special issue
