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CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Alfalfa sowing. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
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Alfalfa, Medicago sativa. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Medicago Family: Legumes (Fabaceae) Origin: middle Asia Area: Alfalfa is a common forage plant and is grown in many countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Chemical composition: Alfalfa is rich in protein, also contains vitamins A, B, C, D and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. Economic value: Alfalfa is used as feed for livestock and other animals due to its nutritional value and high protein content. It can also be used as a green manure, as it improves the soil and prevents erosion. Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Egypt, alfalfa was considered a sacred plant that was used in mummification. She was also a symbol of eternal life and resurrection. In Greek mythology, alfalfa was associated with the Earth goddess Demeter, who was the mother of nature and the harvest. In Christian symbolism, alfalfa is associated with the idea of resurrection and eternal life, as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ. Also, alfalfa was often used in the culture of the Celts, who considered it a sacred plant capable of providing youth and eternal life. In addition to this, alfalfa has been used in Islamic culture, where its seeds were considered a symbol of prosperity and fertility. The symbolic meaning of alfalfa is also related to its nutritional properties, which make it an important food source for many animals, as well as an important component in the food crops of many cultures.
Alfalfa, Medicago sativa. Description, illustrations of the plant Alfalfa, Medicago sativa. Methods of application, origin of the plant, range, botanical description, cultivation
Alfalfa is a very valuable and most common forage crop in world agriculture. It has a variety of uses: for grazing, green fodder, hay, haylage, hay flour and silage. Generates high yields. Under irrigation conditions for 8-10 cuttings gives 80-120 tons of green mass, or 20-40 tons of hay per 1 ha. Seed yield is 0,2-1,4 t/ha. It has high nutritional value. Its green mass contains (per absolutely dry matter): 18-22% protein, 2,8-4,0% fat, 23-33% fiber, 32-44% BEV and 9,7-10,6% ash. It contains a lot of essential amino acids, phosphorus (0,24%), calcium (1,49%) and in sufficient quantities almost all the vitamins needed by animals. 2,2 kg of alfalfa hay contains 1 feed. units Digestibility of nutrients reaches 70-80%. Alfalfa has a great influence on increasing the fertility of the soil, enriching it with nitrogen, and contributes to the creation of a strong, finely cloddy structure. In the 2-3rd year of life, her plants accumulate nitrogen in the soil as much as it is contained in 40-60 tons of manure. It is the best predecessor of cotton, cereals and other crops. The action of alfalfa manifests itself within a few years. With a dense grass stand, it helps to clear the fields from weeds. Alfalfa is one of the oldest crops. It is believed that it began to be grown at the same time as wheat. Probably comes from Central Asia. It is currently distributed on 5 continents, in more than 80 countries on an area of over 35 million hectares. It is widely grown in all areas of the subtropical and southern temperate zones. The largest areas under crops are concentrated in the USA, Argentina, Ukraine, India and Western Europe. Alfalfa (genus Medicago) has more than 60 species. The most widely used alfalfa is sowing, or blue (Medicago sativa L). Bush, tap-rooted plant 50-170 cm high. Root system with a cylindrical or spindle-shaped main root and strongly developed lateral roots. In the 1st year of life, the roots penetrate to a depth of 2-3 m, and in subsequent years - up to 10-20 m, but most of them (60-80%) are located in the soil layer up to 40 cm. Nodule bacteria develop on the roots, absorb nitrogen from the air. Under favorable conditions, a three-year-old alfalfa accumulates up to 300 kg or more of nitrogen per 1 ha. Stems branched, with 10-20 internodes, well leafy (about 50%). In a bush from 2 to 300 stems. The leaves are trifoliate, the leaflets are 1-2,5 cm long and 0,3-1,5 cm wide. The inflorescence is a multi-flowered raceme. The flowers are bisexual, blue in color of varying intensity. Beans are multi-seeded, spirally twisted (from 1,5 to 5 turns). Seeds kidney-shaped or bean-shaped, yellow with a green or brown tint. Weight of 1000 seeds - 1,3-2,7 g. Alfalfa is a fairly thermophilic and photophilous plant. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 18-20 °C. It grows and develops well at 22-30 °C. In conditions of sufficient moisture, it successfully tolerates high temperatures (37-42 ° C). It has a fairly high cold resistance. Some Mediterranean varieties can withstand minus 15 ° C, and special varieties with good snow cover - up to minus 25-30 ° C. Quite demanding on moisture and at the same time very resistant to drought. It forms the highest yields on soils with a moisture content of 60-80% of the total field capacity. With a large amount of precipitation (over 1000 mm per year), it is affected by powdery mildew and other diseases, which makes it short-lived. With a 10-15-day flooding of the herbage, the yield is sharply reduced. A decrease in soil moisture to 45% of the lowest moisture capacity causes significant loss of plants, especially in the 1st year of life. Already under such conditions of moisture, it responds very well to watering after each mowing. In the year of sowing, the herbage of the first cut reaches the beginning of flowering in about 50-60 days, and then it usually blooms 30-40 days after each cut. In crops, alfalfa is preserved for 10-25 years or more. Its economic use is most often from 2 to 8 years. Alfalfa is characterized by great varietal diversity. According to the duration of the growing season, its varieties are divided into 4 groups: 1) varieties from the subtropical zone, vegetating all year round; 2) varieties that stop growing in winter for a short period; 3) varieties with an average period of termination of vegetation in the winter; 4) varieties from the temperate zone that stop growing in winter. Alfalfa grows best on highly fertile, medium loamy, well-drained soils with a pH of 6,5-7,5. It does not work well on heavy clay, stony, alkaline, marshy soils, as well as at a high level of standing groundwater. On poor sandy soils, it gives fairly high yields only when organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. Does not tolerate acidic soils. At pH 5, nodule bacteria almost do not develop, so the soil must be limed. Can tolerate soil salinity. However, when growing alfalfa on highly saline soils (pH 8,0 and above), leaching irrigation is required. To preserve full-fledged seedlings, ensure good growth and obtain high yields of alfalfa, it is necessary to place its crops in fields that are well cleared of weeds. Row crops are among the best predecessors of alfalfa. In cotton-growing areas on irrigated lands, it is expedient to grow alfalfa in crop rotations with cotton (usually without cover) or in joint crops with corn, sorghum, and Sudanese grass. In non-irrigated areas, cereals, oil flax, gourds, fodder crops, etc. are good predecessors for it. Alfalfa responds well to fertilizers, as it consumes a lot of nutrients from the soil. Compared to grain breads, it uses 2 times more nitrogen and phosphorus and 1,5 times more potassium. As the main fertilizer, it is recommended to apply 20-40 tons of manure, 90-150 kg P2O5 and 60-100 kg K2O per 1 ha. Organic fertilizers are mainly applied under the previous crops, and mineral fertilizers are applied under the cover crop and alfalfa. In addition, 10–15 kg of P2O5 per 1 ha must be applied simultaneously with sowing. If there is a lack of molybdenum in the soil, pre-sowing treatment of seeds with molybdenum-acid ammonium at a dose of 2 g of the preparation per hectare norm of seeds is carried out. Soil cultivation for alfalfa includes plowing (preferably to a depth of 25-30 cm or with a subsoiler), sometimes plowing, 2-3 discs or cultivation, soil compaction before and after sowing in dry areas and mandatory field planning on irrigated lands.
Alfalfa partially forms hard seeds with a hermetic shell. To increase their germination, they are scarified before sowing, and also dried in the sun for 3-5 days and briefly heated at 48-60 ° C. In farms or areas where alfalfa is grown for the first time, it is necessary to treat the seeds with alfalfa nitragin (rhizotorphin). Sow alfalfa at the beginning or in the middle of the rainy season. Sowing methods - scattered, solid row (the most common), wide-row with row spacing of 40-60 cm, square-nested (mainly for seeds). The seeding rate for row sowing and random sowing is 14-20 kg, and for wide-row and square-nesting - 4-8 kg/ha. The seeding depth is 2-3 cm. Good results are obtained by sowing alfalfa in other crops (cotton, corn, sorghum) 1-2 months before harvesting. Alfalfa is sown in the growing cotton in the middle of its growing season after careful tillage in the aisles and rows. To obtain high and stable yields of green mass and hay, especially on pastures, as well as for soil protection anti-erosion purposes, it is more expedient to sow alfalfa mixed with cereals and other legumes. When caring for alfalfa, they fight weeds, diseases and pests, remove the cover crop in a timely manner at a height of at least 20 cm, sow it in sparse places (in the second year of life), post-harvest harrowing, disking (in areas of the third and subsequent years of use) , top dressing, loosening of row spacings on wide-row crops. In top dressing, it is expedient to apply annually in rainfed conditions 60-90 kg of P2O5 and 30-45 kg of K2O per 1 ha, and for irrigation, respectively, 100-150 and 50-100 kg per 1 ha. In irrigated areas, irrigation is a mandatory measure of care. Irrigation periods vary from 5 to 30 or more days, and the rates of one-time irrigation - from 600 to 1500 m3 (usually 600-800 m3) with a total water consumption per year from 3000 to 11 m000 per 3 ha. On rainfed lands, 1-2 cuttings are received in the year of sowing, in subsequent years - 2-4, and with irrigation - up to 7-10 cuttings per year with intervals between them of 35-45 days. It is most profitable to mow grass for hay during the period of full budding - the beginning of flowering. It is recommended to mow alfalfa at a height of 6-8 cm from the soil surface. It is harvested with conventional hay harvesters and mower-conditioners. To obtain high nutritional feed from alfalfa and increase the collection of nutrients per unit area, haylage, grass meal, granules and briquettes are prepared from it. When using alfalfa pasture for grazing, the herbage can be grazing to livestock up to 6-10 times, and sometimes more. With proper care, alfalfa grows quickly and after 25-30 days is ready for subsequent grazing. To increase the stability and durability of alfalfa pasture, it is necessary to alternate the cutting of the herbage with its harvesting for hay. It is advisable to grow alfalfa seeds on seed crops and can be obtained on plots allocated from fodder crops of the 2nd and 3rd year of life. Higher seed yields are obtained from the first or second cut. To increase seed productivity, it is recommended to bring bees to alfalfa crops at the beginning of flowering (from 2 to 8 hives per 1 ha). Harvesting is carried out in a separate way (when browning 70-80% of the beans) and direct combining (when browning 90-95% of the beans). Freshly threshed seeds are cleaned, dried to a moisture content of not more than 13% and stored. Authors: Baranov V.D., Ustimenko G.V.
Alfalfa softens the temper of foals. Featured article
Alfalfa! Queen of the herbs of the planet. This is the opinion of the breeders. This plant has an almost perfect ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Almost all the vitamins needed by the four-legged. Almost twice as much protein as clover. And alfalfa grass dries twice as fast as any other grass. And yet this perfection has an Achilles' heel that spoils its resounding glory as the best of herbs. Few seeds. The same minus as clover, but the reasons are different. Although the whole thing here is in the flower ... The flower is cut according to the usual "pea" type for moths. Two fused petals - a boat, like two palms folded together. On the sides there are two more smaller and narrower petals, something like oars. Above the largest petal, reminiscent of a sail. There is nectar and pollen. The trouble with alfalfa is that the flowers are closed. They must be opened by a creature for which nectar and pollen are stored. Nature has singled out for this purpose a bee and a bumblebee. Wild bee. The man added a cultural, honey-bearing. All three work differently. The result is also different. A wild bee sits on a boat, squeezes its proboscis between the oars. Head rests on the sail. An effort! A column of stamens is released from the boat and slaps the bee on the abdomen. Seals pollen. The operation is fast, thirty flowers per minute. The bumblebee does the same rougher. The whole flower will break. But pollination will do. Another thing is the domestic bee. She does not spoil the flower, but she almost does not give any benefit. He sticks his proboscis between the boat and the sail. Nectar takes, but the flower does not open. And the stamens stay in place. And pollen does not get enough sleep. Meadow growers have calculated: domestic bees pollinate an insignificant fraction of plants - less than one percent! Wild - almost a hundred! However, there are very few wild ones left. Nature did not expect that a person would sow such a lot of alfalfa (one Argentina - 7 million hectares) and constrain wild bees in their living space. Is there a way out of the impasse? Canadian alfalfa fans have come up with the following. They recruited the leaf-cutting bee megahila. Megaheels live alone, but next door to each other. They settle in tree trunks, in fences, roofs. There are still plenty of places like this. The cells are made not from wax, but from the leaves of their ward alfalfa, a piece of the desired size is cut out. Roll up into a tube. It turns out a cell. Stuffed with honey. They are sealed with a cap, which is also cut out of an alfalfa leaf. Canadians breed leaf cutters artificially. They make special hives for them and take them to the fields when there is a need.
Of the sixty species of alfalfa scattered throughout the world, the most important is blue alfalfa, sowing. With blue flowers. In addition to the lack of seeds, she has another drawback. The root rod goes into the soil, like a radish. Little grows on the sides. Therefore, it is not suitable for grazing. For hay only. Another thing is yellow alfalfa. With yellow flowers. She has the opposite. Morozov is not afraid. Grazing is not afraid. There are hundreds of shoots in the bush! Although the disadvantage is the same: the lack of seeds. There are, however, species in this respected genus where the seeds are not only not limited, but, on the contrary, persistently climb into the hands themselves. And they don't know how to get rid of them. You don't have to look far for an example. In the Crimea, a similar creature grows along the steppe slopes: the Crimean repyashok is a small alfalfa. The name fully justifies it. As tall as a matchbox. Lowered stems creep along the ground. If not for the yellow flowers, you might not notice at all. However, quadrupeds are looking for repyashok in the most unthinkable places and eat with pleasure. Especially the sheep. For a repyashka, such sheep love is very beneficial. Snail-shaped, spirally rolled beans are armed with crooked spikes. Easily hooked on sheep's wool and follow on with passing transport. If the sheep lie down in the thickets of the turnip to rest, then the beans cling to a solid mass. Try to pull them off then from the wool. No matter how they tear it off, no matter how they comb it out, the remnants still get into the fabric and spoil it. Even washing does not help, and the fabric becomes whitish. There are several other types of the same repyashki. Thanks to their tenacious beans, they even stopped by Australia. They dispersed there along the desert plains of the center and west. With the help of the same sheep. Sheep wool is also spoiled, for which they are nicknamed "grass lice" by Australian farmers. They say that "grass lice" have become an even greater disaster for this continent than prickly pear cacti. Sometimes, however, the benefit comes from "lice". They are very nutritious and delicious. But because of the thorns, sheep only eat them after rains, when the thorns are wetted and not dangerous. But rains in deserts are so rare... So, for hundreds of years alfalfa feeds four-legged animals. And although it seems to be a simple grass, it has not yet been fully understood. Recently, livestock breeders have discovered one very necessary property of it. The fact is that calves consume a lot of milk. Almost a quarter of the milk yield. They tried to replace part of the milk, but they did not find a good surrogate. This is where alfalfa comes to mind. Squeeze the juice out of the grass. Compared to milk. Is very similar. It does not contain fiber harmful to calves. There are no other ballast substances. But the protein-protein is up to forty percent (only 27 in milk). The most important thing is that the acidity of the juice is the same as that of milk. Can be mixed without fear of curdling. And scientists are thinking about how to put alfalfa on the table to a person, bypassing the cow. Of course, for people this is still a distant sight. But for animals, the benefits of alfalfa are a proven fact. It excites energy, strengthens muscles and bones. Chickens and turkeys lay more eggs. Sheep are getting fat. It is especially beneficial for horses. Softens the temper of foals. They stop kicking and kicking and behave like well-mannered youths. True, in all this there should be strict control by the owners. You can easily overdo it, as happened with the Cossack A. Grekov on the Don. He released his foals on alfalfa to improve their temper. He did not bother to look after them, believing that the longer they stay there, the better. As a result, the poor horses had bloated bellies from gluttony and they almost lost their breath. "What if you graze on clover?" he asked for a magazine. "Clover is just as dangerous," the editors replied. Recent events in the world have further spurred attention to alfalfa. When the energy crisis hit the Western world, the National Institute of Agronomy in France began to look for ways to save energy in the production of fertilizers? The world spends more than one hundred million liters of oil daily on saltpeter alone. They began to compare different crops: which one requires more nitrogen fertilizers? The French every year pour a sack of saltpeter per hectare under wheat, three times as much under ryegrass. Under the alfalfa - zero! Here it is, the benefit! Not without reason, even people far from forage grasses admired alfalfa, and Mark Twain, who loved a joke so much, said: "Alfalfa is an ordinary grass, but with a higher education." Author: Smirnov A.
Alfalfa, Medicago sativa. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
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Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Alfalfa, Medicago sativa. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennial plant in the legume family that is widely used as livestock feed. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing alfalfa: Cultivation:
Workpiece:
Storage:
Alfalfa is an important plant for livestock feed production. Follow these tips to grow, harvest, and store alfalfa for animal feed and other uses.
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