Alfalfa Management Guide

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Acknowledgments

4 Copyright This publication is a joint effort of: University of Wisconsin-Extension , Cooperative Extension Minnesota Extension Service , University of Minnesota Iowa State UniversityCooperative Extension Service Published by: American Society of Agronomy, Inc. Crop Science Society of America, Inc. Soil Science Society of America, Inc. © 2015 by American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Crop Science Society of America, Inc., and Soil Science Society of America, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without permission from the publishers. The views expressed in this publication represent those of the individual Editors and Authors. These views do not necessarily reflect endorsement by the Publisher(s). In addition, trade names are sometimes mentioned in this publication. No endorsement of these products by the Publisher(s) is intended, nor is any criticism implied of similar products not mentioned. ISBN: 978-0-89118-347-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015956808 Editor: Lisa Al-AmoodiDesigner: Patricia Scullion Editor previous editions: Linda DeithDesigner previous editions: Susan Anderson Printed in the USA.

5 Establishment Select a field carefully Test soil before planting Select a good variety Planting

6 Production Fertilize annually Irrigation Manure management Weed management Disease management Insect management When to rotate from alfalfa

7 Harvest Forage quality Harvest management Fall management Hay and silage management

8 Forage quality terms

9 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 1 Table 1. Alfalfa autotoxicity reseeding risk assessment. Table 2. Effect of seeding rate on first-year alfalfa dry matter yields.

2 Chapter 2Table 3. Pounds of nutrient removed per ton of alfalfa produced, dry matter basi...Table 4. Sufficiency levels of nutrients, top 6 inches of alfalfa at first flowe...Table 5. Nutrient deficiency symptoms for alfalfa.Table 6. Estimate of available sulfur from manure as affected by animal and manu...Table 7. Alfalfa tolerance and herbicide effectiveness in direct seedings. (Buct...Table 8. Impact of common weeds on forage quality.Table 9. Alfalfa tolerance and herbicide effectiveness on common weeds in establ...

3 Chapter 3Table 10. Quality standards for legume, grass, and grass–legume mixture.Table 11. Calculate your risk of alfalfa winter injury. Enter the score for answ...Table 12. Summary of good hay-making practices.Table 13. Summary of good alfalfa silage practices.

1 Chapter 1 Figure 1. Effect of autotoxicity on root development of alfalfa. Figure 2. Effect of waiting periods when establishing alfalfa following alfalfa.... Figure 3. Available nutrients in relation to pH. Figure 4. First-cutting alfalfa yield relative to soil pH. Figure 5. Lime availability at different particle sizes. Figure 6. Yield difference between top and bottom alfalfa entries in Wisconsin A... Figure 7. Alfalfa seedling development.Figure 8. Spring and late-summer seeding dates.Figure 9. Effect of weed management systems for late-summer seedings on yield an...Figure 10. Alfalfa emergence from various seeding depths.Figure 11. Stand density during first 12 months (seeded at 12 lb/acre).Figure 12. First-season yield and relative feed value (RFV) of alfalfa using dif...Figure 13. Importance of packing soil after seeding.Figure 14. Effect of seeding equipment on yield and stand in seedling year.

2 Chapter 2Figure 15. Average evapotranspiration (ET) by alfalfa cut four times. Alfalfa wa...Figure 16. Economic action thresholds for control of potato leafhopper (PLH) in ...Figure 17. Alfalfa stem count and yield potential.

3 Chapter 3Figure 18. Forage quality needs of cattle and horses.Figure 19. Comparison of ADF to in vitro digestibility of alfalfa.Figure 20. Carbohydrate content of alfalfa roots.Figure 21. Forage yield relative to quality at different growth stages.Figure 22. Cutting schedules for different management goals.Figure 23. Dry matter yields increase with longer intervals between cuttings whi...Figure 24. Dry matter losses during harvest and storage relative to forage moist...Figure 25. Fat-corrected milk (FCM) yield as influenced by change in alfalfa mat...Fig 26. Propionic acid needed to preserve hay.Figure 27. Conditions for profitable use of inoculant on silage. Shaded areas in...

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Acknowledgments

4 Copyright This publication is a joint effort of: University of Wisconsin-Extension , Cooperative Extension Minnesota Extension Service , University of Minnesota Iowa State UniversityCooperative Extension Service Published by: American Society of Agronomy, Inc. Crop Science Society of America, Inc. Soil Science Society of America, Inc. © 2015 by American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Crop Science Society of America, Inc., and Soil Science Society of America, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without permission from the publishers. The views expressed in this publication represent those of the individual Editors and Authors. These views do not necessarily reflect endorsement by the Publisher(s). In addition, trade names are sometimes mentioned in this publication. No endorsement of these products by the Publisher(s) is intended, nor is any criticism implied of similar products not mentioned. ISBN: 978-0-89118-347-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015956808 Editor: Lisa Al-AmoodiDesigner: Patricia Scullion Editor previous editions: Linda DeithDesigner previous editions: Susan Anderson Printed in the USA.

5 Table of Contents

6 Begin Reading

7 Forage quality terms

8 End User License Agreement

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Authors

Dan Undersander

Extension agronomist, forages University of Wisconsin

Mark Renz

Extension agronomist, weed control University of Wisconsin

Craig Sheaffer

Research agronomist University of Minnesota

Glen Shewmaker

Extension agronomist University of Idaho

Mark Sulc

Extension agronomist

The Ohio State University

The authors wish to thank reviewers from industry and various universities for their suggestions and everyone who supplied photos, including those not specifically mentioned: