Harvest Management for Producing Alfalfa in South Dakota

Harvest management affects yield, quality, and persistence of alfalfa. While producers may strive for high yield, excellent forage quality, and stand longevity, all of these goals are difficult to achieve with one system of harvest management. Compromise among these three factors is often necessary. To determine which harvest management system is best for you, you need to understand how yield, quality, and persistence are influenced by plant maturity and harvest methods

Reestablishing Alfalfa into Existing Stands Damaged by Flooding

Excess moisture conditions in 1993 caused damage to many stands of alfalfa throughout South Dakota. Floods killed alfalfa in many low-lying areas, and in some instances, entire stands were lost because of excess water. Alfalfa cannot tolerate wet soil conditions for an extended period of time. Several diseases that persist under wet conditions can further damage or even kill alfalfa plants. In addition, standing water can damage plants by reducing oxygen levels necessary for adequate respiration within the plant

Forage Potential of Cicer Milkvetch

Cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L), a legume native from the Causcasus Mountains in Asia across southern Europe to Spain, was introduced into the United States in the 1920’s. It’s used for grazing, hay, and soil conservation in the northern and central Rocky Mountain Region of the United States and western Canada. Cicer milkvetch is gaining popularity in other regions of the United States because it is more tolerant than alfalfa to acidic or alkaline soils and does not cause bloat in grazing animals. Several South Dakota producers planted small acreages of cicer milkvetch in spring 1989. These acreages are being monitored, and producer experiences with this crop will be publicized

Winter Injury in Alfalfa: Assessment and Management

Injury to alfalfa plants during the winter can cause serious stand losses and is a major problem in growing alfalfa in South Dakota. Stand hardiness is affected by climatic conditions, soil condi¬tions, and cultural practices

Cultivar Test in South Dakota, 1991 Report: Alfalfa Yields

Public and commercial breeding programs produce new alfalfa cultivars for the market every year. Selecting the proper cultivar for your situation is no easy task, and you should have yield information from several South Dakota locations to make a proper choice. From the SDSU Alfalfa Cultivar Yield Tests you can compare the critical forage production characteristics-yield, winterhardiness, and disease resistance-for available cultivars and experimental lines at several locations in South Dakota

Cultivar Test in South Dakota, 1989 Report: Alfalfa Yields

Fifteen to 20 new alfalfa cultivars are released annually through public and commercial breeding programs. To select a cultivar for your operation, you will need information on forage yield, winterhardiness, and disease resistance. The alfalfa cultivar yield test of the Plant Science Department at SDSU determines relative forage production characteristics for available cultivars and experimental lines at several locations in South Dakota

Cultivar Test in South Dakota, 1988 Report: Alfalfa Yields

About 15 new alfalfa cultivars are released each year. Many of these cultivars are on the market, and you need to know their forage yields under South Dakota conditions before you can select one for your operation. Such yield information is given here for available cultivars and experimental lines at several locations in the state

Cultivar Tests in South Dakota, 1987 Report : Alfalfa Yields

Yield results of 119 alfalfa cultivars and experimental lines from 27 companies and 11 public institutions are presented in this report, which summarizes experiments for the period 1985-1987. The results show the relative forage production characteristics for these lines at several locations in South Dakota