alfalfa plant Articles
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Water deficit alters canopy structure but not photosynthesis during the regrowth of Alfalfa
Growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) following the correction of a water deficit will depend in part on the characteristics of the canopy grown during the water deficit. The current study was undertaken to determine the extent to which canopy structure and photosynthetic capacity are affected in alfalfa plants regrowing following defoliation while exposed to a water deficit. The effects of five ...
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Do cultivar and burning affect forage yield and incidence of verticillium wilt or insect pests in alfalfa stands?
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage crops in Canada and many parts of the world. Two experiments were conducted over a 13-yr period (1989–2002) in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada with five alfalfa cultivars. In the first experiment, ‘Barrier’ and ‘Pacer’ were given three burn treatments (no burn, burn every year, and burn in alternate years) while in the second experiment ...
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Root-knot nematode-resistant alfalfa suppresses subsequent crop damage from the nutsedge-nematode pest complex
Southern root-knot nematode [RKN, Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood], yellow nutsedge (YNS, Cyperus esculentus L.), and purple nutsedge (PNS, C. rotundus L.) occur together as a mutually beneficial pest complex in sandy soils. All crops grown in infested soils are affected due to the wide host range of the nematode, the perennial life cycle of the nutsedges, their interactions, ...
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Simulating the Effect of Climate Change on Agriculture
Increased atmospheric CO2 levels and climate change are believed to contribute to extreme weather conditions, which is a major concern for many. And beyond extreme events, global warming is also predicted to affect agriculture.1,2While climate change is expected to affect agriculture and reduce crop yields, the complete effects of climate change on agriculture and the resultant human food ...
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Simulating Agricultural Climate Change Scenarios using Controlled Growth Chambers
Extreme weather, believed to result from climate change and increased atmospheric CO2 levels, is a concern for many. And beyond extreme events, global warming is also expected to impact agriculture.1,2 Although it is expected that climate change will significantly affect agriculture and cause decreases in crop yields, the full effects of climate change on agriculture and human food supplies are ...
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19 Things the AP Got Wrong
The Associated Press recently published an article on “the secret environmental cost of U.S. ethanol policy.” There is much in this article that is too misleading, poor or deficient analysis, over-simplistic, or poorly drawn conclusions to comment on, but here are 19 big things the AP got wrong. The article seems to put the blame on Obama the candidate and the Obama administration. ...
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Combining ability and heterosis for forage yield among elite alfalfa core collection accessions with different fall dormancy responses
Understanding genetic parameters of populations that are being considered for inclusion into plant-breeding programs provides critical knowledge to enhance economic traits of interest. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic parameters influencing forage yield for nine populations selected from the USDA National Plant Germplasm System alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) core collection ...
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Pollinator effects on genotypically distinct soybean cytoplasmic male sterile lines
Poor seed-set limits potential for soybean hybrid seed production. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of different pollinators on the rate of seed set in three soybean cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines, JLCMS9A, JLCMS82A, and JLCMS89A. The following five treatments were applied under net room isolation-conditions: (i) insecticide application and release of alfalfa leafcutter ...
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Nitrogen Fixers
Here’s a bit of geeky plant science. On this image of the roots of white clover, you can plainly see bumps along the roots that are called nodules. Over millions of years, the plant has evolved a symbiotic relationship with certain species of soil-dwelling bacteria called Rhizobia. This group of bacteria has the ability to take nitrogen from the atmosphere and “fix” it by ...
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Improving alfalfa irrigation in The west
Alfalfa grown for forage is a major crop in many areas of the western United States. In the arid and semi–arid west, irrigation is required to obtain economic alfalfa yields. Because alfalfa is a perennial crop with a potentially long growing season, it can use a substantial amount of water. Alfalfa production in Imperial County, CA, has been valued at more than $170 million dollars for ...
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Reuse of Dairy Lagoon Wastewater Through SDI in Forage Crops
Abstract California has become the leading dairy products producing state in the USA. This has resulted in farms commonly milking several thousand cows per day. The care and feeding of the animals has produced large waste streams commonly collected and stored in lagoons. Environmentally safe handling and reuse of the lagooned wastewater is the objective of this study. A system of Subsurface Drip ...
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