Evaluation of Different Fall Dormancy-Rating Alfalfa Cultivars for Forage Yield in a Semiarid Environment

Abstract

Alfalfa is one of the most important, nutritive, and high yielding forage legumes planted across the US. Fall dormancy in alfalfa influences forage yield characteristics and the plants persistence mostly under the cold and temperate climate. The objective of this study was to evaluate alfalfa cultivars with different fall dormancy-ratings for their forage yield at each cut and the annual forage yield. Two sets of 24 alfalfa cultivars were evaluated in a field experiment conducted at the Agricultural Science Center at Farmington, NM. The first set of 24 cultivars was planted late fall 2007 at seeding rate of 22.4 kg ha−1 and managed for the 2007–2011 period and the second set was planted late fall 2009 and managed during the 2009–2013 period. Average forage yield varied with years from 7.6 to 2.9 Mg ha−1, 6.8 to 4.3 Mg ha−1, 9.2 to 4.2 Mg ha−1, and 7.9 to 3.2 Mg ha−1 during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th alfalfa cut, respectively. The results showed no statistical differences between the moderately dormant, dormant, and the non-dormant alfalfa cultivars while they showed higher forage yield than the very dormant and semi-dormant alfalfa cultivars. There was a decreasing trend in forage yield from the first cut to the fourth cut in each growing season. However, the very dormant cultivars showed the lowest forage yield. Alfalfa forage yield decreased from the cut 1 to the cut 4 which represented on average 33, 29, 22, and 16% of the annual yield. The semi-dormant cultivars obtained the lowest forage yield at the first and second cutting while there was no difference between the cultivars for the third and fourth harvests. Average forage yields per harvest were 5.7, 5.9, 6.0, 5.5, and 5.9 Mg ha−1 for the very dormant, dormant, moderately dormant, semi-dormant, and non-dormant alfalfa cultivars, respectively. Annual forage yield varied with alfalfa fall dormancy-ratings and ranged from 15.5 to 29.9 Mg ha−1 with the highest forage yield achieved during the third years of the production. The moderately dormant and the non-dormant cultivars showed the highest yield during the first harvest year while the very dormant cultivars and dormant cultivars had the lowest forage yield. Alfalfa cultivars with a fall dormancy range 4–5 may be considered for alfalfa production in northwest New Mexico however, the good agricultural practices (conservation tillage, fertilizer management based on soil residual available nutrient and crop requirement, recommended planting rate, weed and pest management, irrigation scheduling to match crop evapotranspiration) should be the most important to maximize alfalfa forage yield in the southwest US.

Dynamics of Spring Regrowth and Comparative Production Performance of 50 Autumn-Sown Alfalfa Cultivars in the Coastal Saline Soil of North China

“…The similar results were also obtained from another study [45]. The results of the fall dormancy ratings of the alfalfa cultivars were consistent with several previous studies [22,46,47]. rate, indicating that no effects of fall dormancy levels were observed on the forage yield in this study.…”

“…The similar results were also obtained from another study [45]. The results of the fall dormancy ratings of the alfalfa cultivars were consistent with several previous studies [22,46,47].…”

“…Salinization is a frequent productivity-limiting factor due to the water deficit. Moreover, alfalfa productivity is affected by its fall dormancy level that has correlation with forage yield, agronomic characteristics, and nutritive value [22]. Harvest interval or frequency also affects alfalfa growth characteristics and forage yield [23].…”

A Multi-Site Evaluation of Winter Hardiness in Indigenous Alfalfa Cultivars in Northern China

“…There are fewer reports on the use of the ASI in alfalfa [12,19] compared to crop production [24][25][26][27]31]. ASI reflects the overall growth status of alfalfa after wintering.…”

Breeding and Genetics of Forages for Semi-Arid and Arid Rangelands

“…Evaluations of alfalfa, forage kochia (Bassia prostrata), and Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus) further demonstrated the effects of genotype × environment interaction for rangeland agriculture. Evaluation of the effect of alfalfa fall dormancy on forage yield in the USA southern Great Plains found that less dormant materials possessed higher yields, but that there were interactions between forage harvest and dormancy class [16]. Forage kochia is valued as a rangeland plant material for its drought and salinity tolerance, competitiveness with annual weedy species, and for its nutritional value.…”