Effect of stand establishment, age and variety on alfalfa density and selected parameters of its root biomass
1998
Jamriska, P. (Vyskumny Ustav Rastlinnej Vyroby, Piestany (Slovak Republic))
In field experiments, the effects of undersowing of four alfalfa varieties into three maize hybrids on stand density, root mass, root thickness under the root crown and at a depth of 0.25 m, the length of tillering zone, and the cluster diameter of alfalfa plants 50 mm above the ground were studied. All the parameters were measured in autumn of the sowing year and in the third vegetation year. Control variant was without a cover crop. Apart from this, at the end of the third year, laboratory experiments were conducted on plants removed from the soil in order to learn about plant mortality and dry mass production per plant, per 100 g root mass and per square meter. Number of alfalfa plants was influenced by varieties and sowing year conditions. The Regia variety had in the first and third years higher plant numbers than the Nitranka variety. In the laboratory trial, the same relationships were observed in alfalfa plant mortality - Regia variety plants showed greater vitality and productivity than Nitranka plants. Dry root mass was influenced mainly by weather. Root thickness under the crown and at the depth of 0.25 m was influenced in both cases by the stand establishment, lucerne variety, and weather. Length of tillering zone and cluster diameter of plants were influenced by plant number, weather, stand establishment, and lucerne varieties. In the third year, relative increase rate in comparison with the first year was the greatest in the length of tillering zone and root mass (215 and 203 % respectively), and lowest in plant cluster diameter (139 %)
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