Publication Date
1997
Description
The use of fixed interval cutting management for lucerne was studied for four cultivars (CUF101, Condor, SA Standard and Alfagraze) of four dormancy classes. Five fixed cutting intervals ranging from two to ten weeks were imposed for three years on irrigated stands at Elsenburg Research Station in the Boland of South Africa. The experimental design was a 4 by 5 split-plot randomised block with three replications. The four main plots were four cultivars split into five subplots containing five cutting treatments. The more winter dormant cultivar, Alfagraze, was least sensitive to cutting frequency and relatively more productive than the other three cultivars at the two- and six-week cutting regime. There was no evidence that cultivars of different dormancy classes require different cutting management to obtain maximum annual dry matter yield. Therefore, a fixed cutting frequency of six weeks throughout the year is an acceptable management compromise for all lucerne grown in the Boland region of the Western Cape.
Citation
Oberholzer, T and van Heerden, J M., "Influence of Five Cutting Frequencies on the Production of Medicago sativa Cultivars in the Boland of South Africa" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1997-2023). 16.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session22/16
Included in
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Influence of Five Cutting Frequencies on the Production of Medicago sativa Cultivars in the Boland of South Africa
The use of fixed interval cutting management for lucerne was studied for four cultivars (CUF101, Condor, SA Standard and Alfagraze) of four dormancy classes. Five fixed cutting intervals ranging from two to ten weeks were imposed for three years on irrigated stands at Elsenburg Research Station in the Boland of South Africa. The experimental design was a 4 by 5 split-plot randomised block with three replications. The four main plots were four cultivars split into five subplots containing five cutting treatments. The more winter dormant cultivar, Alfagraze, was least sensitive to cutting frequency and relatively more productive than the other three cultivars at the two- and six-week cutting regime. There was no evidence that cultivars of different dormancy classes require different cutting management to obtain maximum annual dry matter yield. Therefore, a fixed cutting frequency of six weeks throughout the year is an acceptable management compromise for all lucerne grown in the Boland region of the Western Cape.
