AGRICULTURAL INOCULANTS CORPORATION

“MICROBES AT WORK”

http://ph.linkedin.com/pub/gene-gregorio/2/455/b0a
http://gene-gregorio.blogspot.com/p/about-gene-gregorio.html
http://twitter.com/#!/genegregorio
http://www.facebook.com/gene.gregorio
http://www.scribd.com/home

CULTURAL PRACTICE FOR ALFALFA OR LUCERNE

(Medicago sativa)

A. Land Preparation

1. The soil suitable for the growing of alfalfa is non-acid and preferably slightly
alkaline. It must be light and well-drained soil. Some varieties of alfalfa
thrive very well even on sandy soils. Sandy loam soils with appreciable
amount of organic matter will be well-suited for alfalfa growing.

2. The land can be undulating terrain, however, relatively flat lands will be
adequate for as long as it does not become waterlogged and/or water easily
drains out during rains or when irrigation water is applied.

3. The soil must also be free of harmful pests e.g. nematodes. If present, it will
be advisable to treat the soil by fumigation or by applying the appropriate pest
control chemical.

4. Since alfalfa growing is done in large commercial scale it is advisable to use

agricultural machineries for many farming operations e.g. land preparation,
seeding, fertilizer application, harvesting or cutting and processing.

5. Prepare the land dry by plowing with a large tractor, deep enough to uproot
the weeds.

6. Break the clods after one week using the disc harrow attached to the tractor.
Allow the grasses and weeds to dry.

7. After one more week harrow the field again to pulverize the soil. By this time
the grasses and weeds would have withered and died.

8. Broadcast 15-20 bags (750-1000 kg) of enriched organic fertilizer (5-10-5),

after the 2nd harrowing using a fertilizer (compost) spreader.

B. Seeding
 AGRICULTURAL INOCULANTS CORPORATION
“MICROBES AT WORK”

http://ph.linkedin.com/pub/gene-gregorio/2/455/b0a
http://gene-gregorio.blogspot.com/p/about-gene-gregorio.html
http://twitter.com/#!/genegregorio
http://www.facebook.com/gene.gregorio
http://www.scribd.com/home

1. Direct seed the area at the rate of 20-25 kg of Rhizobia-inoculated seeds per
hectare using a mechanical seeder drawn by a tractor. The seeder must have
an accurate regulator delivering approximately 2-2.5g of seeds per sq.m.

2. The soil must be moist so that the Rhizobia can proliferate. If the moisture
content of the soil is lower than 30% within the 20-30 cm depth, irrigate the
field. Gravity irrigation will suffice for as long as the flow of water can be
controlled but if sprinkler irrigation is available this is preferred since the
volume of water can be regulated and over-irrigation is prevented. Too much
water is bad for the seeds since alfalfa is a legume.

3. The seeds will germinate within 3 days and expected to sprout within 5-6
days from the field.

C. Care and Maintenance

1. Side dress the alfalfa crop using inorganic N-P-K fertilizers at the rate of 100-
150 kg of compounded inorganic fertilizer (12-24-12) per hectare at 20 days
after seeding (DAS) using a mechanical blower so that the fertilizer can be
evenly broadcasted. The rate of fertilization depends on the soil analysis
depicting nutrients content.

Note: Fertilization can also be done through the sprinkler irrigation system if
available. If fertigation (fertilizer application through irrigation) is used be
sure that the chemical fertilizer is applied together with foliar fertilizer to
avoid phyto-toxicity of the crop.

2. Spray the crop with foliar fertilizer using ½ % solution at 30 DAS. The
solution is prepared by mixing 1 liter of the foliar fertilizer with 200 liters of
water.

3. Spray the crop with ½ % solution of foliar fertilizer mixed with 1% solution
of urea (46-0-0) at 45 DAS. The 1% urea solution is prepared by mixing 2 kg
of the same with 200 liters of water.

4. Repeat Steps No. C-3 at 2-week intervals.

 AGRICULTURAL INOCULANTS CORPORATION
“MICROBES AT WORK”

http://ph.linkedin.com/pub/gene-gregorio/2/455/b0a
http://gene-gregorio.blogspot.com/p/about-gene-gregorio.html
http://twitter.com/#!/genegregorio
http://www.facebook.com/gene.gregorio
http://www.scribd.com/home

Note: If necessary, apply the appropriate crop protection chemicals together

with the foliar fertilizer application to save on application cost. The common
pests of alfalfa are those attacking legumes e.g. armyworms, cutworms, leaf
folders, leaf hoppers and sometimes mites.

5. For subsequent crops follow Steps C-1 to C-4.

D. Harvesting/Cutting

1. The first harvest normally takes place at about 60 DAS. Subsequent

harvesting or cutting will be at about 30-day intervals. It is advisable to cut
at about one-tenth bloom for maximum quality and nutritional value.

2. Harvesting is accomplished using a mechanical harvester or cutter.

3. The harvested crop can be fed fresh to animals e.g. beef and dairy cattle,
buffalo and other livestock or processed into cubes. It can also be
converted to silage to make it more palatable and the nutrients more
digestible or assimilable.