Effects of growing system, soil cultivation and stage of development on crude protein and fibre content in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)
2004
Hanackova, E.,Slovak Univ. of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovak Republic). Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovak Republic | Slamka, P.
The effects of two growing systems - integrated system (inorganic + organic fertilizers + pesticides) and organic system (exclusively organic fertilizers and mechanical weed control) - on the yield of dry matter (DM) of alfalfa and its quality parameters were investigated in a 3-year field experiment. In both growing systems two types of soil cultivation (minimum up to a depth of 0.12-0.14 m and conventional up to 0.20-0.25 m) were applied within 8-field crop rotation. With minimum soil cultivation individual tillage operations were aggregated together as much as possible to minimize soil consolidation and save costs. Based on the average of 3-year results, a higher DM yield of alfalfa was found in integrated system (9.651 t per ha for conventional cultivation and 9.14 t per ha for minimum one) than in organic system (8.90 t per ha and 8.59 t per ha, respectively). In comparison with minimum soil tillage, conventional cultivation increased DM yields in both the growing systems investigated. Neither growing system nor soil cultivation method had a statistically significant influence on alfalfa forage and DM quality (DM content, crude protein content and fibre content of DM). The only exception was the statistically significant effect of organic system on an increase in DM content of alfalfa (22.66% vs. 21.69% in integrated system). Advanced maturity of the cover (stage of development) significantly reduced the content of crude protein in DM and, on the contrary, significantly increased the fibre content of DM and DM content of alfalfa forage in both the growing systems under either type of soil cultivation. A comparison of DM yields of alfalfa and its quality parameters indicated that either growing technology as well as either soil cultivation have a similar influence.
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