In agriculture, forage grasses are widely used . One of them is alfalfa. It serves as suitable material for silage and grazing. In order to get the maximum crop yield, in agricultural practice it is customary to calculate the correct seed consumption: alfalfa sowing rate per 1 ha.
Why grow alfalfa
Legumes go to animal feed in green, harvested as hay, silage and haylage. Herbal flour and vitamin granules are made from it, which are subsequently added to animal feed. For such purposes, alfalfa is mowed at the first stage of the appearance of buds.
To get high-quality haylage, the crop is harvested during flowering. By biological properties, it is equal to green grass. Thanks to special mowers, the conditioning method is used.
To speed up the drying of hay, there are automatic finger rakes. Regular ventilation and tedding help speed up drying.
There are two main ways to grow a feed crop. The seeding rate of alfalfa seeds per 1 ha will depend on what purpose is pursued when using it and what method is used when sowing it. The same can be said about the row spacing.
What criteria determines the row spacing
- Some agronomists note that wide aisles reduce hay yield. When growing alfalfa for livestock feed, the distance is reduced. The best option is 11 cm.
- For alfalfa, like any other culture, to produce fruit, it needs appropriate conditions. Thickened crops will not give a good result. In order to obtain seeds, the rows are expanded from 60 to 100 cm. It was noted that, subject to this rule, the stems became thicker and more stable. The plant itself branched well; more inflorescences formed on it.
- You should know that the row spacing is also determined by climatic conditions. In arid areas, a sparse standing frequency of seedlings is recommended.
- Sometimes crops are thickened due to the high weediness of the fields.
- When leaving the culture mechanically, the aisles are expanded.
Sowing alfalfa under cover
Under-cover sowing is the sowing of two or more crops in one area. A plant that remains in the winter after harvesting the main (integumentary) is considered to be undercover. The advantage of this method is the rational use of the territory.
Sowing. Spend in the early spring. A grain-seeder is used in the work. At the same time, the number of seeds is reduced both in the main crop and in the auxiliary crop. They are sown simultaneously, in a cellular manner. Helper plants include rye, oats, and wheat. The alfalfa sowing rate per 1 ha under cover is 9 million suitable seeds.
Widespread use is the so-called assorted. 3 types of crops are usually included in seed mixtures. The competing brethren for alfalfa are pinworm and fescue. It goes well with red clover or timothy. The alfalfa seeding rate per 1 ha in herbal mixtures is 4.5 million seeds.
Care. Timely cleaning of the cover material contributes to the further full-fledged development of alfalfa.
When the cover is beveled, it is necessary to top dress.
Row spacing On well-groomed fields, the distance between the rows leaves 20-22 cm.
Important. It is strictly forbidden to plant alfalfa with winter cereals. In the spring, they are rapidly developing and drowning fodder culture.
The yield of green mass depends on how intensely alfalfa competes with cover crops. Sometimes they slow down the growth of the root system and the aerial parts of the plant. To obtain the expected result, the alfalfa seeding rate per 1 ha is increased by 20%, and the rate of concomitant crops is reduced to 50%.
Alfalfa sowing without cover
Separate alfalfa cultivation contributes to an abundant increase in grass mass. Shoots feel freer and form dense stripes. In some areas, under favorable conditions, green mass mowing occurs in several stages. This method is effective when alfalfa is grown on hay. The alfalfa seeding rate per 1 ha is 15 kg.
Sowing. In early spring, before sowing alfalfa, the soil is cultivated with herbicides. Be sure to work on preparing the soil with the help of mechanized trailers.
Care. It consists in a phased weed control. After sowing, the area is rolled using ring rollers. A ribbed technical device fluffs up the surface soil layer. After this treatment, the number of weeds and pests is significantly reduced. Later, weed mowing events are held. It is cut off after reaching a certain height so as not to harm the main culture.
Row spacing In some areas, the distance between rows of 50 cm is practiced.
The benefits of cover crops
Sowing cover crops is one of the most effective ways to protect the soil from degradation. Depending on the location of the fields and the influence of climatic conditions, fertile soil layers are affected by different types of erosion.
In areas with a dry climate and lack of vegetation in the fields, wind erosion is dominant. Water erosion prevails in hilly areas where excessive precipitation is observed.
The human factor contributes to changes in soil composition and quality. The age of technological advances played a role, this adversely affected the physical and chemical state of the earth. Integumentary herbal plants have regenerative properties.
Alfalfa seed cultivation
Experienced agronomists believe that by expanding the area for growing alfalfa, it is possible to create a reserve of humus in the soil and increase fertility. This opinion is due to the fact that this culture is capable of fixing nitrogen from the air. The roots and the mowed mass rot and enrich the fields with this necessary element.
A common problem is the deficiency of seeds of the feed crop. Breeders seek to grow the best varieties of alfalfa with maximum seed yield.
Sowing . First of all, they create areas with the most suitable nutrition. Phosphoric fertilizers are applied before sowing.
Leaving . During budding, foliar top dressing with molybdenum and boron has an effective effect. The main goal of this event is to prevent the falling of flowers and beans. They are working to protect seedlings from pests and weeds. Increase the number of natural pollinators.
Row spacing Wide row sowing is applied. In a row, seeds are distributed less frequently than with standard sowing.
To obtain seeds, the feed culture is grown in a skinless manner. 4-5 million pcs. - seeding rate of alfalfa per 1 ha. This amount helps to achieve the best results in the formation of beans and obtaining seeds. In some regions, with high levels of humidity and rainfall, half the seeds are sown.
Alfalfa cultivation in the garden
Landlords with large areas grow alfalfa on their own. This is done to improve the soil or to get a green manure mixture, and then use it as mulch. A hand seeder or all kinds of trailers for a walk -behind tractor comes to help gardeners. Some manage to sow manually, by evenly scattering them around the site. Here are 2 examples of home seeding.
- Alfalfa seeding rate per 1 ha manually - 30 kg. Bean seeds are mixed with sand 1:20 and scattered around the garden. In this case, gardeners prefer to abandon row spacing. The green manure is harvested using conventional mowing.
- One and a half bags of barley and 2 kg of alfalfa are mixed and moistened with water. Seeds stick together. Sowing is carried out using a device on a walk-behind tractor or a manual seeder. The width between the rows varies depending on the inventory.
Output
In order to get the most out of alfalfa, you need to study the characteristics of the associated crops. These include ripening dates, growing season and growth. For agrarian farming, the average seeding rate of alfalfa per 1 ha is 6 million pcs. or 12 kg.