Lucerne

Dr.Waqas Nawaz
PMAS arid agriculture university rawalpindi pakistan

1. Dr.Waqas Nawaz PMAS AAUR

2. Introduction: Scientific name: Medicago sativa Common name: In Arab known as alfalfa In Europe called as lucerne Belongs to Leguminosae family ( soluble CHO & CP) Origin : Introduced from the Mediterranean region It is called as “Queen of forage crops” WHILE “King of fodder crops” is berseem LUCERNE was probably the first crop to be cultivated for hay

3. General Characteristics: Perennial forage Nitrogen-fixer Highly palatable D igestible and nutritious Lucerne probably the world’s best fodder Extremely  drought   tolerant Fast growing (can be cut after 30 days of 1 st cutting) Frost tolerant Susceptible to a range of pests and diseases Rabi fodder crop(sown in winter, october to november ) Harvesting time First cut after 3 month of sowing .(March) Later cuts after interval of 5-6 weeks . Because of its high level of PROTEIN ENERGY MINERALS VITAMINS

4. Morphological description: 5-6 m in height with a crown diameter of a similar size Long softly-hairy/serrated leaves ( sawtooth ) Leafy branches   Leaves dull trifoliate   Leaflets narrowly rhombic with entire margins upto 7 cm long.   Petiole upto 2 cm long Stipules minute

5. Plants  – An erect 2-3 ft tall Multi-branched perennial plant with a very deep tap root Plants develop a woody crown at ground level Stems rising from the crown to around 1 m height.  Flowers  – Flower blue but can purple or yellow (while Barseem has white) Flowers are a typical pea shape 12 – 15 mm long Develop in dense clusters of 20 – 30 flowers at the tips of the branches

6. Soil – Deep loamy soils rich in phosphorus, calcium and potash are very good for lucerne crop Upland sandy soils are not suitable for it as they have low water holding capacity Well drained soil with PH 6.5 to 7.00 It cannot thrive on alkaline soils But can be grown on acid soils with lime application Climate - Lucerne crop is highly sensitive to climatic changes During seedling stage a cool and dry weather is conducive for their development while hot, dry conditions with normal soil moisture contents are required for quick vegetative growth Therefore, its cultivation extends from sea level to lower hills up to an elevation of 2500 meter It tolerates short spell of drought

7. Sowing – Sowing the seeds at proper time, rate and method increases the yield 1. Time of sowing: The optimum time of sowing of lucerne is from 1st week , of October to middle of November However, middle of October is the best time for sowing lucerne . 2. Seed rate: In case of broadcasting, 20-25 kg per hectare of seed should be sown while for line sowing 12-15 kg per hectare is sufficient. 3. Sowing method: Sowing of lucerne can be done either by broadcast or by line sowing.

8. Flower Trifoliate Lucerne Field Lucerne Field

9. Varieties: Vernal (cultivars) used in past a variety of a plant developed from a natural species and maintained under cultivation Two types are used 1) Dormant (growth reduced in winter due to low temp/shorter days) 2) Non-dormant (grow through the winter, named as Winter active) M . falcata a wild variety of alfalfa that naturally hybridizes with  M. sativa   to produce S and L ucerne This species may bear either the purple flowers or yellow There are now more than 30 varieties of lucerne available. These varieties have a wide range of pest and disease resistances and growth patterns

10. Cont …. Punjab Type 8 and 9 , Synthetic–78 Sindh Type 8 and 9 NWFP Type 8 and 9 , No–18 Balochistan Type 8 and 9 , Quandari NARC Sundar Misasirsa Pioneer Sanora Illunico Type 8/9 Powera Seven exotic varieties of lucerne were evaluated in different zones during 1993-1995 GILGIT, CHALAS, SKAUDU.

11. Yield: Perennial forage and lasts for many years In Pakistan, (total production) 3978601 t/ 144984 h (2010)NARC On average ,in six cuts per year, Punjab 35-40t/a Sindh 15-20t/a NWFP 15-20t/a Balochistan 25-30t/a The number of cuts depends on the local climate; in low-altitude areas, 6 to 8 cuts are possible where water is adequate; in the high areas , over 2000 m, 3 cuts are usual

12. Top Producing Areas: The world wide production was around 500+ million tonnes in 2010 Produced in Punjab,Balochistan US , Canada , Argentina, Australia, South africa and in Middle east Upper Midwestern states account for about; 50 % production in US 10 % Northeastern 40%in Western states Production: 100 to 125 t/ha in Punjab and 50 to 75t/ha in sindh

13. Nutritional value : Alfalfa is high in  Protein, calcium , plus other minerals,  vitamin A , vitamins in the B group ,  vitamin C ,  vitamin D ,  vitamin E , and  vitamin K And Carotin as well. The sun-dried hay of alfalfa (also known as Lucerne) has been found to be a source of vitamin D ( On DM basis) CP 19% DM 23-35% Ca + 1.3 g/Kg P+ 0.3g/Kg CHO 11% TDN 65.8% Ash 8% CF 29.6% Fat 8.5% NDF < 42% Minerals 8% Fiber 30% NFE 36% EE 1.6%

14. Uses/applications: A s a multi-purpose fodder;   A s a high quality fodder Palatable fodder Non-toxic fodder Lucerne meal is used for livestock and poultry As an ornamental Windbreak Fuel-wood B iogas Disadvantage is bloating BLOAT MEANS ACCUMULATION OF GASES

15. COMPARISON LUCERNE AND BERSEEM

16. Crops     Sowing time Method of sowing MOSTLY Harvesting Time Berseem 21 st  Sept- end of Oct. Broadcast in standing water Nov.----May Lucerne Mid Oct.- mid Nov. 45 cm apart in lines. Permanent yield from December for 3 years, after every 45 day Crops     CP LEAVES FLOWER protien Green fodder yield (t/ha) TDN Life cycle CF Berseem 18-24% round white 18-20% 125-150 64.9% Annual 30.3% Lucerne 15-24% Almost flat Blue-yellow 20-24% 110-125 65.8% Perinneal 29.6% KING OF FODDER QUEEN OF FORAGE

17. REFERNACES:::::: NARC Prof. Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha, ( Dean, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore::::FODDER) Poineer ::::: Manual of livestock form operations (supervised by Dr. Tanveer & Dr. Kashif ) www.Pakistan agriculture.com Crop Production by Shafi Nazir Animal Husbandry by S. Iqbal Shah Notes on lucerne varities written by Dr. M.dost & Dr.afzal Some others....

18. MESSAGE: Instead of thinking how to win, think how you lost last time. You will definitely win next time… Thank You