Page 4—Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 15, 2000
NORCROSS, Ga. Adequate
potassium and phosphorus nutri
tion are critically important to al
falfa productivity under periodic
grazing or hay harvesting.
Carbohydrate assimilation and
transport within the alfalfa plant
are decreased under potassium defi
ciency. Potassium is also important
for proper nodulation and nitrogen
fixation. Alfalfa roots are the main
storage organ for starch that is used
for regrowth of the shoots. Alfalfa
root nitrogen is also mobilized to re
growing shoots, because defoliation
(harvest) severely limits uptake of
nitrogen by roots and nodule activ
ity.
The primary sources of nitrogen
for regrowth during the first two
weeks after harvest are root protein
and amino acid pools.
A Purdue University project di
rected by Dr. Jeff Volenec and col
leagues, with partial support from
the Foundation for Agronomic Re
search, is studying the interactions
of phosphorus and potassium on al
falfa yield and stand persistence.
The study is providing new insights
into the mechanisms by which al
falfa responds to phosphorus and
potassium. It is also monitoring nu
merous physiological and biochemi
cal (starch, sugar, protein)
attributes of the roots thought to be
critical to rapid regrowth and winter
hardiness.
Nutrients released from clay min
erals and soil organic matter sources
during the winter months help meet
the needs of the first cutting, but as
soil test levels decline, yield levels
are reduced. This effect has in
creased each year that the study
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News From Alfalfa
Nutrition Research
continues, as soil test levels on the
low fertility plots are further de
pleted.
Over the first two years, plant
population has decreased by 50 per
cent, but so far there has not been a
significant difference among the
phosphorus and potassium treat
ments. Higher phosphorus and po
tassium levels reduced the number
of shoots per unit area, indicating
that the higher yields are not due to
increased shoot density, but are
rather due to more dry matter pro
duced per shoot.
Slight decreases in forage quality
components have sometimes been
observed in the high fertility plots,
but the increased yield from phos
phorus and potassium application
produces more total protein and
total digestible nutrients (TDN).
Low phosphorus and potassium nu
trition did reduce root organic
reserves in some cases, and the re
searchers expect stand persistence
to be affected in future years for the
low phosphorus and potassium
plots. Higher fertility will enable the
shoots per unit area to be main
tained even though the number of
plants per unit area declines. This
will ultimately increase stand
longevity and may help explain why
adequate phosphorus and potas
sium nutrition are essential to al
falfa productivity.
Better understanding of the phys
iological effects of phosphorus and
potassium management will help
explain the yield response and will
provide new insights into the best
management practices for fertilizing
alfalfa for optimum yield and in
creased stand longevity.
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