Lucern & berseem

LUCERNE AND BARSEEMM.Yasir Zahoor 13-Arid-1101

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Introduction

Scientific name: Medicago sativa Common name: In Arab known as alfalfa

In Europe called as Lucerne

Belongs to Leguminosae family Origin: Introduced from the Mediterranean region It is called as

“Queen of forage crops” WHILE

“King of fodder crops” is berseem

2Lucerne

General Characteristics

Perennial forage Nitrogen-fixer Highly palatable Digestible and nutritious Lucerne probably the world’s best fodder Extremely drought tolerant Fast growing (can be cut after 30 days of 1st cutting) Frost tolerant Susceptible to a range of pests and diseases Rabi fodder crop(sown in winter, October to November)

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Morphological description:

Long softly-hairy/serrated leaves (saw tooth) Leafy branches  Leaves dull

Leaves are trifoliate, with obovate leaflets, 10-45 mm long and 3-10 mm broad.   

Petiole up to 2 cm long Stipules minute

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Trifoliate

Petiole

Plants – An erect 2-3 ft tall Multi-branched perennial plant with a very deep tap root Plants develop a woody crown at ground level Stems rising from the crown to around 1 m height. 

Flowers – Flower blue but can purple or yellow (while Barseem has

white) Flowers are a typical pea shape 12 – 15 mm long Develop in dense clusters of 20 – 30 flowers at the tips of

the branches

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Distribution:7

Alfalfa originated from the Mediterranean basin and southwest Asia (Iran, Afghanistan) and was one of the first forage crops to be domesticated

Due to its variable genetic base, alfalfa has good adaptability to different environmental conditions.

Optimal growth conditions are 25°C average day-temperatures and 600 to 1200 mm annual rainfall.

 It grows best on deep, well-drained, sandy to fertile loamy soils, with 6.5-7.5 soil pH. 

Deep loamy soils rich in phosphorus, calcium and potash are very good for Lucerne crop.

It tolerates short spell of drought.

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Sowing Sowing the seeds at proper time, rate and method increases

the yield

1. Time of sowing: The optimum time of sowing of Lucerne is from 1st week , of

October to middle of November However, middle of October is the best time for sowing

Lucerne.

2. Seed rate: In case of broadcasting, 20-25 kg per hectare of seed should

be sown while for line sowing 12-15 kg per hectare is sufficient.

3. Sowing method: Sowing of Lucerne can be done either by broadcast or by line

sowing.

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FlowerTrifoliate

Lucerne Field

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Varieties:

Vernal (cultivars) used in past a variety of a plant developed from a natural species and maintained under cultivation

There are now more than 30 varieties of Lucerne available.

These varieties have a wide range of pest and disease resistances and growth patterns

Two types are used

1) Dormant (growth reduced in winter due to low temp/shorter days)

2) Non-dormant (grow through the winter, named as Winter active)

M. falcata a wild variety of alfalfa that naturally hybridizes with

M. sativa to produce Sand Lucerne This species may bear either the purple flowers or yellow

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Yield:

Perennial forage and lasts for many years In Pakistan, (total production) 3978601 t/144984 h

(2010)NARC On average ,in six cuts per year,

Punjab 35-40t/a Sindh 15-20t/a NWFP 15-20t/a Balochistan 25-30t/a

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First cut after 3 month of sowing.(March)Later cuts after interval of 5-6 weeks.

Top Producing Areas:

The world wide production was around 500+ million tonnes in 2010

Produced in Punjab,Balochistan

US, Canada, Argentina,

Australia, South africa and in Middle east

Upper Midwestern states account for about;

50% production in US

10% Northeastern

40%in Western states

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(On DM basis)14

CP 19% DM 23-35%

Ca+ 1.3 g/Kg P+ 0.3g/Kg

CHO 11% TDN 65.8%

Ash 8% CF 29.6%

Fat 8.5% NDF < 42%

Minerals 8% Fiber 30%

NFE 36% EE 1.6%

Effect of cut number & harvesting conditions:15

Alfalfa hay

The high content of structural fiber in alfalfa hay fiber that is rapidly digested by rumen microbia is particularly valuable in ruminants because it enhances DM intake. Alfalfa fiber helps to prevent acidosis due to its intrinsic buffering effect and to the stimulation of ruminative chewing and salivation which results in rumen buffering. Alfalfa hay may be finely chopped, or coarse with long fiber.

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Silage

Silage is a good conservation method even in harsh conditions. Since alfalfa has a low carbohydrate content it has to be supplemented with carbon sources, such as ground cereal grains like wheat or barley, and inoculated to start fermentation. Alfalfa silages can be made using fresh alfalfa or pre-wilted alfalfa. The crop should be at 50-70 % moisture before ensiling to prevent nutrient leaching

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The sun-dried hay of alfalfa (also known as Lucerne) has been found to be a source of vitamin D.

Uses/applications: As a multi-purpose fodder;

 As a high quality fodder

Palatable fodder

Lucerne meal is used for livestock and

poultry

As an ornamental Windbreak Fuel-wood Biogas

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Precautions/ Side Effects/ Warnings21

Cont….22

Scientific name:Trifolium alexandrinum

Common name: Berseem

Berseem is one of the most important leguminous forages in the Mediterranean region.

23 Berseem

Description

A Leguminous Fodder 0f Rabi Season.

Berseem is an annual sparsely hairy erect forage legume. 30 to 80 cm high

has a shallow taproot Its stems are hollow, branching at the base, with

alternate leaves bearing 4-5 cm long x 2-3 cm broad leaflets.

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Cont…

Flowers are yellowish-white and form dense, elliptical clustered heads about 2 cm in diameter.

Berseem is a fast growing, high quality forage that is mainly cut and fed as green chopped forage.

It is often compared to alfalfa, due to its comparable feed value. However, unlike alfalfa, it has never been reported to cause bloat. 

It is slightly less drought-resistant but does better on high moisture and alkalinic soils. 

berseem can be sown in early autumn and can thus provide feed before and during the colder months

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Distribution

Berseem probably originated in Syria.

It was introduced into Egypt in the 6th century into India in the 19th century and into Pakistan, South Africa, the USA and Australia in the 20th century.

Berseem can grow in areas where annual rainfall ranges between 550 mm and 750 mm. 

 It does better than alfalfa in high moisture soils and is very productive under irrigation. 

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Green forage

It is a high quality green forage. Berseem should be cut 50 to 60 days after

planting and then every 30-40 days. The highest yield of protein with a relatively

low yield of fibre was obtained by cutting the plant at a height of about 40 cm.

Five to six cuttings can be done under irrigation and one or two at the end of the cool season in dryland.

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Cont..

Fresh berseem has a good nutritional value very comparable to that of fresh alfalfa.

The nutritive value of berseem (protein and energy) can meet the requirements of relatively high producing dairy cows (more than 30 L/d), provided the cows consume sufficient DM to achieve this level of production.

When grazed before the oldest foliage began to senesce, the metabolizable protein content of berseem can be particularly high compared to other fresh forages.

In India, the sole feeding of berseem supported a growth rate of 550 g/d in buffaloes and in dairy cows maintenance and milk production up to 10 kg/d 

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Berseem hay

Berseem is not well suited to make hay because its succulent stems do not dry easily.

When berseem is intended for hay, only the last spring cut should be used as it is drier. It may also be useful to wilt berseem in the field and then let it dry on roof tops to make it into hay.

Berseem hay has a good nutritive value comparable to that of alfalfa hay harvested at comparable maturity.

Organic matter digestibility (OMD) ranged from 63 to 71% in growing cows and crude protein digestibility ranged from 63 to 75% in growing goats.

Dry matter intake (DMI) ranged between 2.4 to 3.0% BW for growing heifers, buffalo, sheep and goats.

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Silage

Like other leguminous fodders, berseem has a good buffering capacity and a high moisture content that can delay a drop in pH during ensiling,  resulting in  deterioration of the nutritive value.

For this reason, berseem is often mixed before ensiling with wheat straw and molasses.

Other dry and fibrous fodders such as sugarcane bagasse can also be used.

In lactating buffaloes, a diet based on 25% concentrate and 75% berseem ensiled with straw and 2% of molasses had a reduced intake compared to the same diet with fresh berseem. The effect on DM and protein digestibility was not significant.

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Tables of chemical composition and nutritional valueBerseem (Trifolium alexandrinum), aerial part, fresh

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