There has always been an inherent dilemma of trying to balance alfalfa yield with forage quality —as yield increases, the digestibility of alfalfa decreases because, as the plant matures, the amount of lignin content in the stems increases. The Lowdown on Reduced Lignin. Reduced-lignin alfalfa seeks to decrease lignin-induced indigestibility as the season progresses. In some cases, reduced-lignin alfalfa may also extend the growing season or save farmers money by decreasing the number of alfalfa cuttings needed.
Reduced-lignin alfalfa varieties | UMN Extension
To be on the safe side, Sheaffer and others suggest that growers not wait for the first cutting. Most prominent in the market is the transgenic reduced-lignin alfalfa, HarvXtra, developed in a cooperative effort between Forage Genetics International, the Noble Research Institute and the U. Dairy Forage Research Center. The germplasm from all three reduced-lignin versions has now been incorporated in multiple varieties within those companies—and even across the industry.
However, there is no data available collected by independent third parties that directly compares the varieties developed from the two technologies. Harvest Flexibility.
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These new varieties may allow about a seven-day delay from 28 to 35 days in harvest. Comparisons are being recorded for up to three different seeding rates to determine if they make a difference in stand counts after various periods of time, Jarek explained. At the various sites, the per acre seeding rates for live seeds have ranged from 12 to 30 pounds, Jarek reported. Among the seed companies whose alfalfa is grown at one or more sites are Legacy, Latham, Dekalb, Kussmaul, Renk, Dairyland and Alforex.
Reduced Lignin Alfalfa
As the reports have been filed, the prevailing trend is that alfalfa mortality rates are high across the board in the first and second year of stands and that higher seeding rates do not result in higher plant totals or stems per square foot, Jarek indicated. Where three seeding rates were used, the middle amount has sometimes fared the best over time. Knowing that should guide growers on the economics of seeding rates because they can save money while sacrificing little in plant and stem count, Jarek stated. He suggested that the adequacy of phosphorus and potassium in the field might be a greater factor in alfalfa plant viability and mortality than seeding rates in meeting the Extension Service's recommendation of a minimum of 55 alfalfa stems per square foot to keep an alfalfa stand.
Jarek explained that it is natural for alfalfa to self-thin through the process of auto-toxicity while other losses may be due to diseases, lack of fertilization, and damage from harvesting equipment. One benefit from the loss of plant density is the ability of the remaining plants to grow more stems each, he noted.
As they complete their purchases of alfalfa seed for and prepare to plant, Jarek urges growers to be aware of the pure seed rating provided on the label and to convert it to the potential for plant establishment.
Forage Genetics International Files Suit Against Alforex Seeds
In the seeding rate trial with Latham's HY on the Adam Faust farm in Calumet County, the autumn square foot count of plants was 10 higher than the spring count — perhaps due to the later germination by the hard seed, he suggested. Coatings on the seed as rhizobia, fungicide and colorant must also be accounted for when determining how much pure seed there is per bag, Jarek emphasized. As he showed samples of two versions of coating and one of seeds without a coating, Jarek explained that a true comparison of the effects of coating materials can be made only with alfalfa with the same genetics.
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