Jackobs, J.

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The Influence of Cutting Schedule on the Yield of Hay and Vigor of Ladak Alfalfa in the Yakima Valley By J. A. Jackobs Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations Institute of Agricultural Sciences THE STATE COLLEGE OF WASHINGTON The Influence of Cutting Schedule on the Yield of Hay and Vigor of Ladak Alfalfa in the Yakima Valley By J. A. Jackobs Jntroduction The quality of alfalfa hay depends largely on the stage of maturity of the crop when harvested. As alfalfa matures, the stems become coarser, and the pro­portion of leaves to stems is smaller. The quality of the hay is lowered as a consequence. When alfalfa is dehydrated to serve as a source of carotene and protein in poultry rations, quality is so important that the crop is harvested much earlier than the usual hay stage. On dairy farms, also, it is desirable to have very high quality hay so that the proportion of high cost concentrates in the ration can be reduced. In 1947, an experiment was started at the Irrigation Experiment Station to determine the effect of three different cutting treatments upon the yield and vigor of Ladak alfalfa. Spring Cli\lJ?iDK Spring clipping was practiced to determine whether it is feasible to delay the maturation of the first crop by this means. The seasonal yields, obtained when Ladak alfalfa was clipped in the spring when 4, 7, and 12 inches tall, are compared with the yield or unolipped alfalfa in Table 1. Spring clipping had little or no influence on seasonal yield. Table 1. The seasonal yield of alfalfa hay (including the spring clipping) when cut at 41-day intervals following 4 spring-•clipping treatments. Average of 2 years, 1947 and 1948. Height when _ spring clipped §pasonal yieldTons per acre 4" 4" 6.0 711 6.3 1211 6.3 Not clipped 6 • .'.3 When it is likely that part of the first cutting will become too mature before it can be harvested, the maturity on that part of the crop can be delayed by clip­ping in the spring without a reduction in seasonal yield. Length of interval between cuttings The length of interval between cuttings was varied to determine what effect harvesting at different stages of maturity has on seasonal hay yield. Is there 100re hay in three cuttings a season made at the 1/10 bloom stage than in four cut­tings made at a less mature stage? The seasonal yields obtained when different intervals between cuttings were practiced are given in Table 2. The longer the interval between cuttings, the greater the seasonal yield produced, in spite of the fact that fewer cuttings were taken. Table 2. The seasonal yield of alfalfa hay when the interval between cuttings was varied. Average of 2 years, 1947 and 1948. Interval between cuttingDays 2S 29 33 37. 41 No. of cuttings Annually 6 5 4 4 3 Seasonal rleld Tona per acre 3.9 4.6 5.2 S.6 6.2 When alfalfa is harvested at an imnature stage, the seasonal yield is reduced. However, the increase in hay quality may more than make up for the loss in yield~ depending on the class of livestock to which the hay is to be fed. The after-effects of frequent cutting Frequent cutting of alfalfa in midwestern and eastern United States has been shown to be very detrimental to a stand or alfalfa. Winter kiUing and reduced yields often follow when alfalfa is cut before the l/10 bloom stage. To measure the influence of frequent cutting on the vigor of Ladak alfalfa in the Yakima Valley, the plots that had been cut at different intervals in 1947 and 1948 were all cut on the same schedule in 1949. If frequent cutting reduced the vigor of the alfalfa in plots that were cut frequently in 1947 and 1948, they would have been expected to yield less than those that had been cut at longer intervals. The hay yields obtained in 1949 are given in Table 3. Cutting at short intervals through two seasons did cause some reduction in yield in 1949, but the reduction was surprisingly small--only 1/2 ton per acre. It is apparent that cutting as frequently as every 25 days is not particularly detrimental to Ladak alfalfa in the Yakima Valley. The last date alfalfa is cut in the fall has a pronounced influence on the first growth the following spring. In the management study discussed above, one­half the plots were cut at various dates after September 1 and the other half were left uncut. The alfalfa cut after September 1, was slower starting growth in the spring than that which was not cut after that date. Hov,ever, the difference in growth by the time of the first cutting was only slight. In 1949, the alfalfa cut -~ after September l the previous year produced 5.2 tons per acre; the alfalfa not cut after September l produced 5.7 tons per acre--only 1/2 ton more per acre. No winter-killing occurred in any of the alfalfa under study in the winter of 1948-49 when root damage on other crops was particularly severe. A similar study is being conducted with Ranger, Buffalo, Turkistan 19300, and South Dakota 12, as well as Ladak. '!be results are similar to those reported here on Ladak. It appears that the alfalfa varieties which are as winter hardy as Ladak are not apt to winter-kill in the Yakima Valley because of fall cutting treatment. 

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The Influence of Cutting Schedule on the Yield of Hay and Vigor of Ladak Alfalfa in the Yakima Valley

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The Influence of Cutting Schedule on the Yield of Hay and Vigor of Ladak Alfalfa in the Yakima Valley

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