Occurrence and Nutrition Indicators of Alfalfa withLeptosphaerulina in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia

Abstract

Alfalfa Leptosphaerulina leaf spot is a common disease of alfalfa, while its effect on alfalfa quality has not been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the alfalfa Leptosphaerulina leaf spot in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, China and determine the quality of alfalfa plants and leaves with different scales. The incidence and disease index of nine alfalfa cultivars ranged from 12.1% to 59.8% and 10.0 to 51.0, respectively. The incidence of the Optimus cultivar and the disease index of the WL168 cultivar were significantly higher than those of the other cultivars. Therefore, different scales (0–4) of the alfalfa WL168 plant and leaves were used to determine their nutritional levels. Compared with healthy plants and leaves, the severity of alfalfa leaf spot on a scale of 4 decreased by 3.7% to 29.4% or 1.7% to 40.7%, respectively, in 18 nutrients; and increased by 12.0% to 14.5% or 17.8% to 26.9% in the Rumen protein (RUP), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF), respectively. In addition, the crude protein (CP) content of alfalfa plants or leaves based on a severity scale of 4 decreased by 16.7% and 6.2%, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between 18 nutritional contents and disease severity, except for NDF, ADF and RUP. Conclusively, alfalfa Leptosphaerulina leaf spot strongly influences the plant and the leaves’ nutrient content in the plant.