EFFECTS OF INITIAL HARVEST DATE ON PRODUCTIVITY AND PERSISTENCE OF ALFALFA AND BROMEGRASS

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and a mixture of the two were grown on irrigated land and subjected to six defoliation schedules in which the initial cutting date varied in time. Delaying the initial defoliation until mid-June resulted in greatest seasonal yield even though the last cutting in this schedule was made in the 1st week of September, usually considered somewhat late for cutting in Saskatchewan. Nitrogen at the rate of 112 kg/ha doubled the yield of bromegrass but did not increase the yield of the alfalfa–bromegrass mixture, indicating that nitrogen fixation was adequate for the crop. Alfalfa and the alfalfa–bromegrass mixtures yielded about 50% more forage than the N-fertilized bromegrass and three times as much as unfertilized bromegrass. At the end of the experiment, dandelions (Taraxacum officinale Weber) had invaded pure stands of alfalfa but not mixed stands of alfalfa and bromegrass.