Lucerne investigations IV. Effect of germination and seed rates on establishment, mortality and yield of dry matter and protein per acre

Abstract

The experiment with two trials was carried out to determine the effect of low and high germination and three seed rates of lucerne on the establishment, mortality, and yield of fodder on heavy soil at Cambridge during 1955–8.Highly significant differences were obtained between seed rates and germinations in the number of plants established in the year of sowing. The highest number of plants with thin and short tap roots were in a dense crop at 15 lb./acre and 83% of them were unable to survive the first winter. The highest mortality occurred between sowing and the first harvest year, and the heaviest loss of plants was in the lucerne drilled at 15 lb./acre and lowest at 5 lb./acre. Interaction between germination and seed rates was significant at 1% level in the first and at 5% level in the second count only.The highest differences in yield results were in the first harvest year, when a significantly lower yield was obtained at 5 lb./acre than at 10 or 15 lb./acre, but there was no significant difference in yield between 10 and 15 lb./acre. Lucerne with a high germination at all seed rates gave significantly higher yields than lucerne with a low germination in both trials.