Publication Date
1989
Description
Many experimental results have shown a close relationship between total dry matter (DM) yield of alfalfa and annual evapotranspiration (ET). However, this relationship may differ from harvest to harvest (Metochis and Orphanos, 1981), indicating that water use efficiency (WUE) may vary during the growing season, particulary as it is adversely affected by high temperature (Sammis, 1981). Water for irrigating alfalfa is often scarce during the dry Mediterranean summer in Israel. Under such conditions, water is withheld for approximately two months, at a relatively advanced stage of maturity, and the crop is allowed to go to seed, after which irrigation is resumed. Little information is available on the response of alfalfa to declining soil water content where irrigation is stopped for periods longer than two months and the crop is subjected to cutting and regrowth cycles. Therefore, in a case where the timing and the duration of drought can be controlled, it is important to know when, during the season, reduction in crop yield is minimal, and whether a management strategy which ensures rapid recovery from drought could be adopted.
Citation
Kipnis, T; Vaisman, I; and Granoth, I, "Drought Stress and Alfalfa Production in a Mediterranean Environment" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 36.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session4b/36
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Drought Stress and Alfalfa Production in a Mediterranean Environment
Many experimental results have shown a close relationship between total dry matter (DM) yield of alfalfa and annual evapotranspiration (ET). However, this relationship may differ from harvest to harvest (Metochis and Orphanos, 1981), indicating that water use efficiency (WUE) may vary during the growing season, particulary as it is adversely affected by high temperature (Sammis, 1981). Water for irrigating alfalfa is often scarce during the dry Mediterranean summer in Israel. Under such conditions, water is withheld for approximately two months, at a relatively advanced stage of maturity, and the crop is allowed to go to seed, after which irrigation is resumed. Little information is available on the response of alfalfa to declining soil water content where irrigation is stopped for periods longer than two months and the crop is subjected to cutting and regrowth cycles. Therefore, in a case where the timing and the duration of drought can be controlled, it is important to know when, during the season, reduction in crop yield is minimal, and whether a management strategy which ensures rapid recovery from drought could be adopted.
