2009-2010 Experimental Variety Trial Results

(Sown April 2008)

Alfalfa - Getting 10 Ton Yields 12

March 2011 10

6 Ave
Top Variety
4
Craig Saxe
Juneau County UW-Extension 2

0
Arlington Marshfield Malone Spooner

Yield difference between top and bottom entries of WI

Special Thanks to: Alfalfa Variety Trials, 1985 to 2010
Average 2.26t/a DM
7 Minimum 0.34t/a DM
Maximum 6.18t/a DM
Dr. Dan Undersander 6
5
Number trials 279

University of Wisconsin
Tons/acre

4
3

For providing many of these slides 2

1
0
1985
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1995
1996
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1998
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2003
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Harvest Year

Additional yield
Alfalfa - Getting 10 Ton Yields of top alfalfa varieties
7.0

6.0

5.0
Yield, t/a

“The good is the enemy of the best” 4.0

3.0 High yielding

“Attention to detail makes the difference” 2.0

Low yielding

1.0

0.0
1 2 3 4
Cutting

1
Wisconsin Alfalfa Yield and 1. Maintain Proper Soil pH and Fertility
Persistence Project
„ Proper fertilization:
„ Allows for good stand establishment
„ Promotes growth
„ Increases yield and quality
„ Improves winter hardiness and stand persistence
2007 - 2010 Summary „ Improves alfalfa’s ability to compete with weeds
„ Strengthens disease and insect resistance

Soil pH and Fertility

„ Have soils tested

„ Lime fields to at least pH 6.7-6.9

„ Apply lime at least 12 months before seeding

„ Best timing is as field is coming out of alfalfa

First-cutting alfalfa yield relative to soil pH

2
Pounds of nutrients removed per ton of alfalfa
produced Winter Injury – uneven growth

Nutrient Dry Matter Removed (lbs/ton)

Phosphate (P205) 14
Potash (K2O) 58
Calcium (Ca) 30
Magnesium (Mg) 6
Sulfur (S) 6
Boron (B) 0.08

2. Select the Best Alfalfa Varieties Winterhardiness Test of Alfalfa

„ Cheap seed will not pay off in the long run Procedure
„ Space plant alfalfa (1 ft apart) in rows 1 ft apart
„ Look over University Trials „ Clip frequently during seeding year

„ Compare new varieties with ones you’ve

you ve „ Cut on Sept 20 in seeding year
„ Rate individual plants in spring for injury and kill
grown
„ Report results relative to check varieties
„ Select high-yielding varieties with adequate
winter survival and disease resistance.

Select Varieties with Increased

Winterhardiness
„ Less winterkill
„ Less winter injury – more yield

3
Recommendations Selecting Grass varieties -
Yield difference among varieties in UW Trials
„ Very Winterhardy, Winterhardy, Moderately Annual difference between top and bottom variety
Winterhardy alfalfa varieties recommended for
6
Wisconsin

Tons/acre
„ Plant more winterhardy type if: 4

„ Uneven greenup in spring frequently occurs 2

„ Cutting schedule always less than 35 days
0
„ Harvest late fall cutting

Effect of Verticillium Resistance

on Alfalfa Persistence
Selecting Grasses
„ Orchardgrass and tall fescue
100 „ Want winterhardy types
80
stand

60
%s

40 R
MR
20 LR
S
0
3

4
ll/1

ll/2

ll/3

ll/4
g/

g/
Fa

Fa

Fa

Fa
rin

rin
Sp

Sp

Time after seeding

Select Grass Varieties for

„ Yield
„ Winterhardiness
„ Late maturing varieties
„ Consistent yield throughout season (β)
„ Rust resistance (orchardgrass, tall fescue, ryegrass,
festolium)

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3. Proper Seed Bed Preparation and Planting Causes of Seeding Failure:
Seeding Depth
Effect of Seeding Depth on Alfalfa Emergence
80
70

nce (%)
60
50

Plant Emergen
40
clay
30 loam
sand
20
10
0
0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2
Seeding Depth (inches)

Causes of Seeding Failure: Choose Best Establishment Method

Low Soil pH
First-cutting alfalfa yield relative to soil pH

• Direct Seeding
• Oats with Poast Plus or Roundup
• With Companion crop
•Oats
•Ryegrass

Causes of Seeding Failure:

4. Scout Fields and Spray as Needed
Loose Soil
Two Major Pests

1. Potato Leafhopper

2. Alfalfa Weevil

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 Potato Leafhoppers Damage
„ Adults
- 1/8 inch long „ Larva chew and skeletonize leaves
- wedge shape „ Severe damage gives the field a grayish cast
- florescent
fl green „ Most damage occurs on spring growth
• Nymphs „ Feeding can continue on second crop new growth
- much smaller „ Some fields may not green up
- yellowish green to florescent green
- no wings

5. Harvest Management
Damage

„ Symptoms
- Hopper burn
p discoloration
- Distinct V-shape
• Caused by
- Sucking plant sap and injecting toxin
which inhibits water and nutrient transport

Forage Yield Relative to Quality

Alfalfa Weevil

„ Larva
„ Slate-colored when small
„ Bright green when full grown (3/8”)
„ White stripe down the back, black head
„ Adult
„ Dark gray to brown snout beetle (3/16”)
„ Distinct dark shield-like mark on the back

6
 Cutting Schedules for Different Management Goals

Risk of alfalfa harvest at

Marshfield, 1970-2000
100
90 greater than 500 GDD
1. What is your stand age?
80 less than 200 GDD
70
> 3 years 4
bability

60 2 to 3 years 2
50 < 1 year 1 0
Prob

40
30
20
10
0
Sept.01 Sept.08 Sept.15 Sept.21
Date of Last Cutting

Effect of late fall cutting on next year’s 2. Describe your alfalfa variety:
yield (data from 2006) A. What is the winterhardiness?
Moderately winterhardy (ws score 4) 3
9 Winterhardy (ws score 3) 2
8 Very Winterhardy (ws score 2) 1 0
7
6 cut 4 B. What is the disease resistance?
5 cut 3
4 cut 2
Moderate resistance to only bacterial wilt 4
3 cut 1 Moderate resistance to Bacterial wilt plus either
2 Anthracnose, Fusarium wilt, phytophthora root
1 rot, or Verticillium wilt 3
0 Moderate resistance to all above mentioned
Arl-fall cut Arl - no fall Mar - fall Mar - no Spo -fall Spo - no
diseases 1 0
cut cut fall cut cut fall cut
Alfalfa variety total score (multiply two) 0

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3. What is your soil pH? 6. What is you soil moisture during fall/winter?
< 6.0 4 Wet 5
6.1 TO 6.5 2 Medium to dry 0 0
> 6.6 0 0

7. Describe your harvest frequency:

4. What is your soil exchangeable K Level? Cut interval Last Harvest
Low (< 80 ppm) 4 < 30 days Sept. 1 to Oct. 15 5
Medium (80 to 120 ppm) 3 After Oct. 15 4
Optimum (120 to 160 ppm) 1
Before Sept
Sept. 1 3
High (> 161 ppm) 0 0
30 to 35 days Sept. 1 to Oct. 15 4
After Oct. 15 2
Before Sept. 1 0
> 30 days Sept. 1 to Oct. 15 2
After Oct. 15 0
Before Sept. 1 0 0

5. What is your soil drainage? 8. For a mid to late October cut,

Poor (somewhat poorly drained) 3 do you leave more than 6 inches of stubble?
Medium (well to moderately drained) 2 Yes 1
Excellent (sandy soils) 1 0 No 0 0

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 Alfalfa Yield and Dollar Return from
Wisconsin Green-Gold Program
Profitability increases with
$1,000 yield because fixed inputs

Dollar Return per acre

$800 remain constant and
variable inputs increase
$600 only
l slightly
li htl as yield
i ld
$400 increases.

$200

$0
2 4 6 8
Yield (t/a)

Yield of alfalfa as Stand Ages

6. Maintain Short Rotations (% of 2nd year)
4th year
11% decline 5th year
120 27% decline
100
2nd Year)

80
Yield (% of 2

60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(seedyr)
Age of Stand (Years)

Yield is the most important

Benefits of Shorter Rotations:
component of profitability
„ Fixed costs same regardless of yield
„ e.g. taxes, land costs, machinery depreciation „ Increased alfalfa yield from younger stands
„ Production costs similar „ Less weed problems in younger stands
„ Harvesting costs similar „ I
Increased
d corn silage
il yield
i ld ffollowing
ll i alfalfa
lf lf
„ Slightly higher for extra fuel and labor to harvest
higher yield and haul to barn „ 10 to 15% higher corn yields following alfalfa
„ More legume credits
„ Less rootworm insecticide needed following alfalfa

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 Alfalfa Legume Credits Effect of Wheel Traffic
Med, Fine Soils Sandy Soils
-----Regrowth after last cutting------ „ Soil compaction
>8 inches <8 inches >8 inches <8 inches „ Surface: related to contact weight
St d Density
Stand D it -------lb
lb nitrogen/acre------
it / „ S b il related
Subsoil: l t d tto axell weight
i ht
Good, > 4 plt/ft2 190 150 140 100 „ Physical damage to plant
Fair, 1.5 to 4 plt/ft2 160 120 110 70 „ Crown Damage
Poor, < 1.5 plt/ft2 130 90 80 40 „ Broken Stems

7. Minimize Wheel Traffic Damage Reducing Wheel Traffic Damage

„ Minimize driving on field

„ Use smallest tractor when possible
„ Merge windrows where possible
„ Go to
o larger
a ge equ
equipment
p e
No traffic „ Take most direct route to edge of field
Traffic „ Make road to drive on

Reducing Wheel Traffic Damage

Minimize Wheel Traffic Damage
„ Do driving on field soon after harvest
„ Manage to dry forage quickly
„ Harvest for haylage or baleage
„ Use p
preservative
ese a e a andd harvest
a es wete hay
ay
„ Use of duals not recommended
„ Apply manure quickly after cutting

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 Alfalfa Zone of Influence -
8. Avoid Autotoxicity
distance from old plant
„ Alfalfa plants produce toxins that can reduce
germination and growth of new alfalfa seedings Low survival

„ Toxins influence increases with age and density of

stand Survival but low yield

„ Water soluble compounds impair seedling tap root 8”

development by causing root tips to swell and No effect on yield
16”
reduce root hair numbers
24”
Source: John Jenkins, U of MO

Alfalfa autotoxicity –
Autotoxicity reduces future yield conventional vs notill seeding
„ Smaller plants, misshapen roots Seeding year yield response to alfalfa seeded at
various times after alfalfa stand kill
„ 20 to 30% reduced yield in production years
100
90 Conventional
eck)

80 Notill
Yield (% of che

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
O 2 weeks 4 weeks fall after 1
weeks killed yr corn
Time after old stand killed
Cosgrove et al., 1996

Autotoxicity

„ Reduces germination if severe

„ Reduces yield for life of stand
„ Effect most severe on light soils
„ Effect most prolonged on heavy soils
„ Area of influence around living plant is 16” radius
„ Irrigation/rains can wash autotoxic factor from soil
Planted two weeks after plowdown Planted one year after plowdown

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Autotoxicity Recommendations Harvest First Cutting of New Seeding Early

„ Take first cutting at 60 days after planting

„ Wait at least one year before reseeding alfalfa if „ More additional cuttings – higher tonnage
stand in for two or more years „ Less weed problems
„ Can reseed new seeding failures anytime

Effect of Cover Crop

Recommendations for Emergencies Competition on Alfalfa Yield
1.8 1.78
1.67
1.53 1.54

„ Accept some yield loss 1.5

1.2
„ Remove topgrowth before plowing to reduce effect 1.02
0.96
0.9

„ Tillage can reduce effect Conventional oat nurse crop 0.6

„ Irrigation/rains can wash toxic factor from soil 0.3

0
„ Select fields with lightest soils

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ith

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ith

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ed

at
O
i ll

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Dr
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Roundup oat takeout

D

Alfalfa yield in year following seeding with

9. Importance of Seeding Year
„ Too much competition to the young alfalfa
seedlings can stunt their growth and or kill them.
Italian ryegrass cover crop at different rates
Fig 4. Alfalfa yield in year following seeding Italian
Italian Ryegrass
9
ryegrass cover crop at different rates seeding rate lb/a

„ Alfalfa stressed in the seeding year will never yield 8

7 0 lb/a
as wellll iin ffuture
t years 6 2 lb/a
High rryegrass
egrass
Y ield (t/a )

5 4 lb/a seeding rates

„ Higher than necessary plant populations of the 4 8 lb/a reduce alfalfa
cover crop add to establishment cost without 3 16 lb/a
stand and yield in
2
producing additional return. 1 future years
0
Arlington Marshfield Spooner

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 Seeding year stress reduces
yield of alfalfa in future years

„ Autotoxicity
„ Potato Leaf hopper
„ Cover Crop
„ Drought?
„ Other?

http://fyi.uwex.edu/cwas/

Seeding year stress reduces Forage Web Page

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/teamforage/index.html
yield of alfalfa for all years of stand
„ Consider
„ Low yielding stands because of
seeding year stress will not
recover
„ Recommendation
„ Determine if low production year
yield is due to nutrient stress
„ If so, treat
„ If not, consider turning over stand

Alfalfa Seeding Trial - Forage Yields

Arlington, WI
Treatment 2003 2004 2005
((1)) Alfalfa seeded direct 2.8 2.4 2.3
(2) Oats sprayed at 6 inches 3.0 2.3 1.7
(3) Alfalfa + Oat haylage 2.7 4.1 3.1
Oat 2.0 2.3 2.0
Alfalfa 0.7 1.8 1.1

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