What happens when one nation cultivates a transgenic crop variety but neighboring nations do not? Using alfalfa as a case study, we argue that the potential for international transgene flow is substantial, and therefore, the need for international cooperation in regulatory decisions concerning transgenic crops is imperative. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa, L.) is the major forage crop in North Americ...

The key chemical analysis used to estimate the energy value of alfalfa hay for trading purposes, ADF (acid detergent fiber), has been supplanted by NDF (neutral detergent fiber) as the key chemical analysis used by nutritionists to evaluate the fibrosity and energy value of alfalfa hay for nutritional purposes. It is important that the alfalfa hay trading industry abandon ADF, as it will genera...

The research was conducted to evaluate growth of alfalfa mutan (plant height increment, number of leaves and dry matter production) in different Nitrogen Fertilizer and defoliation intensity. The design used was randomized block design 4x2 factorial with 3 replications. The first was dosage of Nitrogen fertilizerNitrogen (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg N / ha), the second factor was defoliation intensity ...

A simple alfalfa model was developed as an alternative infection model for virulence studies of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. Symptoms of disease were observed in wounded alfalfa seedlings within 7 days following inoculation of 10(1) to 10(5) CFU of most strains of the B. cepacia complex. Strains from seven genomovars of the B. cepacia complex were tested for virulence in the alfalfa model,...

Experiments were conducted with rats and swine to determine the potential of dietary alfalfa as a t rea tment for zearalenone (Z) toxicosis. Ninety-six female weanling Wistar rats were fed a casein-based semipurified diet containing 0, 15 or 25% alfalfa and 0 or 250 /~g Z/g feed. Exposure to Z for 14 d resulted in reduced growth, feed consumption and feed efficiency as well as kidney and liver ...

Growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa cv. Vernal) seedlings was compared after inoculation with combinations of either Pratylenchus penetrans and Fusarium soloni or P. penetrans and F. oxysporum f. sp. medicaginis. A synergistic disease interaction occurred in alfalfa when F. oxysporum and P. penetrans were added simultaneously to the soil. Alfalfa growth was suppressed at all inoculum levels of P...

Alfalfa is a good green manure source, but its effect on rice growth has not been fully elucidated. Two green manure species, alfalfa and broad bean (Vicia faba L.), and two N fertilizer levels, alone or combination, were applied to a rice field. The results indicated that alfalfa had more pronounced effects on increasing soil labile phosphorus (P) fractions (including NaHCO3-Pi, NaOH-Pi), P up...

Field assessments were conducted to examine the interplay between host plant and predation in complex agricultural mosaic on pea aphid clover and alfalfa races. In one experiment, we examined the relative fitness on clover race (CR) and alfalfa race (AR) pea aphids on broad bean, red clover and alfalfa alone. But because clover is typically grown in a more complex agricultural mosaic with alfal...

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels alfalfa saponins on cholesterol metabolism in broilers. A total of 320 Arbor Acres (AA) broilers of 1 day-old were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with five replicates in each treatment, and with 16 broilers in each replicate. The experiment last 49 days. During the stage from 0 to 3 weeks, broilers in the control group ...

BACKGROUND: Ensiling forages often leads to degradation of protein to non-protein nitrogen (NPN), which is poorly utilized by ruminants. Postharvest protein degradation is especially high in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). In contrast, red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) has up to 90% less protein loss during ensiling due to polyphenol oxidase (PPO) forming o-quinones from endogenous o-diphenols a...