term can affect stand persistence. Along with other alfalfa researchers across the U.S., we currently have a trial in the intermountain area comparing different cutting intervals for both reduced lignin and standard alfalfa. Alfalfa is cut on 28-, 33-, and 38-day schedules. The difference in alfalfa vigor at the end of the season is impressive. Compared with alfalfa cut on a 28-day schedule, the alfalfa cut on a 38-day schedule is significantly taller in the fall despite its final cutting of the season occurring two days later. So . . . what’s a grower to do?
alfalfa grows more rapidly, but the quality is significantly lower as the internode length (distance between leaf nodes on the stem) is typically greater and the stem usually has a higher fiber and lignin content. Since it is so difficult to produce dairy quality anyway in the heat of summer, why not allow a little extra time for the plant to restore its root reserves for a single cutting on at least some fields? The effects of a very aggressive cutting schedule do not only impact production and vigor that year, but they carry over
into subsequent years as well. We have observed a one-quarter to one-half ton per-acre yield difference in the first cutting alone in the following year. Therefore, growers should pay close attention to the vigor of different fields as they break dormancy after this coming winter. First, cut those fields exhibiting the most vigor and growth. Leave those fields that lag behind because they were cut more aggressively this year until the end of the cutting cycle. This will allow these fields more time to recover and build up carbohydrate reserves. •
Delay a summer cutting When trying to improve profits in a depressed market, a grower who sells their hay off-farm doesn’t have much choice but to cut frequently to secure a higher price and to ensure that their hay sells. One strategy to consider is to let one of the cuttings go longer to allow the plant to store more carbohydrate reserves in the root and crown. Repeated cutting of alfalfa in an early bud or even prebud stage without a break significantly weakens the plant; this reduces plant vigor and escalates the plant’s susceptibility to pests such as diseases and insects. A logical approach is to allow one of the midsummer cuttings to mature. It’s always challenging to produce top dairy quality alfalfa in midsummer even under the best of conditions. In response to the higher temperatures,
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BENEFICIAL ENDOPHYTE PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
November 2016 | hayandforage.com | 27