Yield and Nutritive Values of Semi- and Non-Fall Dormant Alfalfa Cultivars under Late-Cutting Schedule in California’s Central Valley — Oak Academic Publishing
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Yield and Nutritive Values of Semi- and Non-Fall Dormant Alfalfa Cultivars under Late-Cutting Schedule in California’s Central Valley
Water Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Parlier, CA, USA
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Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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Water Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Parlier, CA, USA
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UC-Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Parlier, CA, USA
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Plant Germplasm Introduction Testing and Research Center, USDA-ARS, Prosser, WA, USA
1 Water Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Parlier, CA, USA
2 Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
3 Water Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Parlier, CA, USA
4 UC-Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Parlier, CA, USA
5 Plant Germplasm Introduction Testing and Research Center, USDA-ARS, Prosser, WA, USA
California is one of the major alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L) forage-producing states in the U.S, but its production area has decreased significantly in the last couple of decades. Selection of cultivars with high yield and nutritive value under late-cutting schedule strategy may help identify cultivars that growers can use to maximize yield while maintaining area for sustainable alfalfa production, but there is little information on this strategy. A field study was conducted to determine cumulative dry matter (DM) and nutritive values of 20 semi- and non-fall dormant (FD) ratings (FD 7 and FD 8 - 10, respectively) cultivars under 35-day cut in California’s Central Valley in 2020-2022. Seasonal cumulative DM yields ranged from 6.8 in 2020 to 37.0 Mg·ha −1 in 2021. Four FD 8 - 9 cultivars were the highest yielding with 3-yrs avg. DM greater than the lowest yielding lines by 46%. FD 7 cultivar “715RR” produced the highest crude protein (CP: 240 g·Kg −1 ) while FD 8 cultivar “HVX840RR” resulted in the highest neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD: 484 g·Kg −1 , 7% greater than the top yielding cultivars) but with DM yield intermediate. Yields and NDFD correlated positively but weakly indicating some semi- and non-FD cultivars performing similarly. These results suggest that selecting high yielding cultivars under 35-day cutting schedule strategy can be used as a tool to help growers to maximize yield while achieving good quality forages for sustainable alfalfa production in California’s Central Valley.
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