HARVEST FREQUENCY AND CULTIVAR EFFECTS ON YIELD, QUALITY, AND REGROWTH RATE AMONG NEW ALFALFA CULTIVARS

• Main Author: Probst, Thomas Adam
• Format: Others
• Published: UKnowledge 2008
• Subjects: Alfalfa|Forage Yield|Forage Quality|Regrowth Rate|Harvest Frequency; Plant Sciences
• Online Access: http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/527; http://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1531&context=gradschool_theses

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most important forage crop in the United States and consistently produces high yields and quality, but harvest frequency is the most significant factor for maximizing forage yield and quality. The objective of this research was to determine forage yield, quality, and regrowth rate among new alfalfa cultivars under four different harvest frequencies. Some of these cultivars have been marketed as having rapid rates of regrowth after cutting to maximize the number of harvests per year. Five cultivars were placed under four harvest frequencies of 25, 30, 35, and 40 days in a split-plot design. There was a significant yield and regrowth rate effect across cultivars and harvest frequencies, but little forage quality effect during the two years of this research. These results confirm previous findings that a 35-d harvest frequency is optimal for forage yield, quality, and stand persistence.