Common Name: Alfalfa / Snail Clover / Chilean Clover

Introduction

Lucerne, known as the Queen of Forage Crops, is a highly nutritious perennial forage legume. It is also called Green Gold due to its high economic value. The word “Alfalfa” is derived from Arabic, meaning “the best.”

Plant Characteristics and Uses

• Perennial bushy herb, growing up to 1.6 m in height.
• Quadrangular stems with trifoliate leaves.
• Fast-growing and widely accepted by livestock, especially horses.
• Nutritional Value: Crude Protein (CP) – 18-21%, Digestible Crude Protein (DCP) – 15%, Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) – 58%.

Origin and Distribution

• Originally native to Southwestern Asia.
• Introduced to India in 1900.
• Cultivated globally in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions up to 2400 m above MSL.

Climate and Soil Requirements

• Thrives at 15-25°C daytime and 10-20°C nighttime temperatures.
• 20-30°C is required for seed setting, while 15-20°C is optimal for vegetative growth.
• Prefers deep, well-drained loamy soils rich in lime, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) with pH 5.5-8.5.
• Not suitable for sandy, waterlogged, or highly humid soils.
• Tolerant to drought, but stunted in acidic soils due to low Ca, S, and Mg.

Land Preparation

• One MB ploughing followed by 4-5 harrowings to obtain a fine tilth.
• Fields are divided into rectangular plots for efficient irrigation and drainage.

Varieties

Annual Varieties: Anand-1, Anand-2, Anand-3, LLC-3, RCL-87-1, LLC-5.

Perennial Varieties: CO-1, T-9 (Sirsa-9), Sirsa-8, RL-88, Sri Ganga Sagar, IGFRI-S-244 (Chetak), Alamdar-1, IGFRI-S-54.

Season A rabi season Sowing is done in October and November, depending on temperature conditions.

Seeds and Sowing

• Seed Rate: 20 kg/ha (line sowing), 30 kg/ha (broadcasting).
• Spacing: 25-30 cm row spacing.
• Seed Treatment:
  • Brine solution (10%) for removing inert material.
  • Scarification against hard surfaces for better germination.
  • Pre-soaking in water (10-12 hrs) or diluted H2SO4 (2-3 min) followed by thorough rinsing.
  • Rhizobium inoculation (1.25 kg/ha) for nitrogen fixation.

Manures and Fertilizers

• FYM: 25 t/ha.
• N-P-K: 25-30 kg N, 120 kg P2O5, 40 kg K2O per hectare.
• Application:
  • Half N + Full P & K as basal dose.
  • Remaining N at 30 DAS.
• Micronutrients: Deficiencies in B, Mo, Fe, and Zn must be corrected.

Weed Management

• Manual weeding in early stages.
• Major Weed: Cuscuta (dodder), a stem parasite.
• Control Methods:
  • Uproot and burn infected plants to prevent seed setting.
  • Avoid Lucerne cultivation for 3 years in infested fields.
  • Chemical control: Pendimethalin (0.75-1 kg/ha) as pre-emergence or Imazethapyr (100 g/ha) as early post-emergence (10-12 DAS).

Irrigation Management

• High water requirement.
• Weekly irrigation initially, then every 10-12 days.
• Requires 10-15 irrigations per year.

Harvesting and Yield

• First cut at 55-60 DAS (50% flowering stage).
• Subsequent cuts at 25-30 day intervals.
• Yield: 60-80 t/ha from 8-10 cuttings per year.

Cropping Systems

• Napier Bajra Hybrid + Guar – Lucerne under semi-arid conditions.
• Intercropping with Napier Bajra Hybrid.

Toxicities and Remedies

Bloat (Tympanites)

• Cause: High cytoplasmic proteins (4-5%) act as a foaming agent, causing gas accumulation.
• Remedies:
  1. Punching the stomach with a trocar and cannula.
  2. Administering Prolaxin (10-20 g/kg body weight).
  3. Feeding with linseed/mustard oil.

Reproductive Disorders (Isoflavonoids of Oestrogen)

• Cause: Excess heat production due to oestrogenic compounds.
• Remedy: Reduce severity by adding concentrated feed.

Dermatitis (Photosensitization)

• Cause: Histamines, leading to skin inflammation in light-skinned animals.
• Symptoms: Reddening, swelling, oozing, and scaling.
• Remedy: Keep animals in shade and provide stall feeding.

Saponins Toxicity

• Cause: Saponins in roots, stems, leaves, and flowers lead to haemolysis and reduced egg production.
• Symptoms: Bitter taste, reduced cholesterol, hypoglycemia, and foam oozing from the mouth.
• Remedy:
  • Supplement with low-saponin feed.
  • Provide 1% cholesterol in diet.