VARIATIONS IN THE ALFALFA FORAGE YIELD PER CUTS IN THE FIRST VEGETATION YEAR

Abstract

Understanding the effects of seeding rate and row spacing on fresh and dry matter yield may help obtain optimal and cost-effective alfalfa production (Medicago sativa L.). The objective of this study was to determine the optimal seeding rate and row spacing when sowing different alfalfa genotypes. A field experiment was set up in the fall of 2020 in Zlokukjani of Skopje settlement, North Macedonia, according to a split-split plot design in a randomized complete block in three replications. The treatments in the experiment include two seeding rates (8 and 16 kg ha^-1), two row spaces (20 and 40 cm), and four alfalfa cultivars. The obtained results show a significant influence of the sowing method (row spacing) on the two examined traits (fresh and dry forage yield) compared to the seeding rate, which did not show significant differences in yield. The highest yield of fresh (26 t ha^-1) and dry (7.04 t ha^-1) forage is achieved in the first cut at a sowing distance of 20 cm. Our one-year research recommends that when applying appropriate agro-technical methods in crop establishment and temperate climatic conditions, there is no justification for applying high sowing norms (over 16 kg ha^-1). The selection of an appropriate commercial cultivar and row spacing are inevitable items within an agronomic production technology to obtain optimal alfalfa forage production.