this study planed to determine appropriate planting date and proportion of alfalfa and barley in mixed cropping. experiment carried out in khair abad station of agricultural and natural resources research center of zanjan for five years (2004-2007), using split plot design which main plot was planting date (aug .15, sep.26 and oct .6) and subplot contain alfalfa to barley ratio, barley, alfalfa...

Current Alfalfa Cultivation and Utilization ........................................................80 Development and Cultivation of Alfalfa for Biomass........................................82 Chemical Composition of Alfalfa.......................................................................83 Genetic Impacts on Composition ....................................................................

Abstract Nowadays due of the world population growth, demand for agricultural products is also growing. To obtain good meat and dairy products, high-quality feed farm animals necessary. Legume-gramineous perennial grass mixtures are used to improve fodder lands. Our experience included a test 9 variants legume-gramineous mixtures, where 6 types grasses were used: red clover, alfalfa (legumes), ...

Air pollution is the most important environmental problem of last century that threatens the health of living organisms, especially plants. SO2 is one of the main air pollutants that can cause to imbalance in growth and physiological function of plant in high concentrations. Symbiosis of Rhizobium bacteria with alfalfa can cause increasing plant growth and plant resistance to abiotic stresses. ...

Mix cropping of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) may improve forage production in the rangeland and field conditions, especially in spring after the establishment year. In this study, the effects of different sowing rates of alfalfa and annual ryegrass seeds in the replacement and additive series of mix cropping were evaluated on forage yield in first year after th...

Selenium (Se) is a potential soil contaminant in many parts of the world where it can pose a health risk to livestock and wildlife. Phosphate ore mining in Southeast Idaho has resulted in numerous waste rock dumps revegetated with forages to stabilize the dumps and support grazing. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and western wheat grass [Pascopyrum smithii (R...

Value-added traits of alfalfa are needed to provide farmers new high value profitable products. Processing alfalfa to obtain value added products includes three different fractionation methods: 1) wet fractionation; separation into juice fraction and a fiber fraction, 2) dry fractionation; separation into leaves and stems, and 3) fractionation by passage of the whole herbage through the digesti...

Two digestion experiments and an in situ nylon bag experiment were conducted to determine the correlations between chemical composition, ruminal in situ degradation kinetics and OMI, and OM and CP digestibilities of diets in wethers fed forages of varying nutritive value without and with protein supplementation. Wethers were fed ground corn crop residues, oat-berseem clover or alfalfa hay in th...

Alfalfa hay utilization by dairy cattle has expanded in western dairy states. Alfalfa silage utilization has increased in the Midwest. Alfalfa haylage contains high levels of nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) due to protein breakdown during fermentation. Excessive levels of NPN in alfalfa silage diets require supplementation of protected protein sources to meet protein demands of high-producing cattle....

The Egyptian alfalfa weevil (alfalfa weevil in some areas) during most years is the most severe insect pest of alfalfa in California. These pests feed on alfalfa leaflets and stems, reducing hay yields. Several insecticides provide acceptable control of this pest. Historically, product choice has been driven by efficacy on the pest, cost, presence of other pests, i.e., aphids, days before harve...