• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2004

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants have been reported to be autotoxic as well as allelopathic. Laboratory and greenhouse experiments through petri-dish and pot test were conducted to determine autotoxic effects of alfalfa leaf and soil extracts on the germination or early seedling growth of alfalfa, and to evaluate allelopathic effects of alfalfa leaf residues on alfalfa, barnyard grass, com, eclipta and soybean. Alfalfa seed germination was delayed depending on aqueous extract concentration, with no difference in final germination after 48 hours. Alfalfa root length was more sensitive to the autotoxic chemicals from leaf extracts than was germination or shoot length. Root growth of alfalfa was significantly inhibited at extract concentration of more than 1 g dry tissue/L (g $\textrm{L}^{-1}$). Hypocotyl growth, however, was not affected by all the concentrations of leaf extracts. Soil extracts from 4-yr-old alfalfa stand significantly reduced alfalfa root length by 66%, while soil extracts from 0,1, and 3yr-old stand stimulated root length up to 14-32% over the control. Residue incorporation with dry matters of alfalfa leaf at 100 g $\textrm{kg}^{-1}$ reduced seedling length of several crop and weed species, ranging from 53 to 87% inhibition. Addition of nutrient solution into alfalfa leaf extracts alleviated alfalfa autotoxic effect. This result indicates alfalfa leaf and soil extracts or residues could exert autotoxic as well as allelopathic substances into soil environments during and after establishment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1252-1258
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• 2018

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the effects of cumin essential oil on the silage fermentation, aerobic stability and in vitro digestibility of alfalfa silages. Methods: Alfalfa was harvested at early bloom (5th cutting) stage in October and wilted for about 3 hours. The research was carried out at three groups which were the control group where no additive control was done (CON), cumin essential oil (CMN3) with 300 mg/kg and CMN5 with 500 mg/kg cumin essential oil addition. Alfalfa was ensiled in plastic bags. The packages were stored at $8^{\circ}C{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ under laboratory conditions. All groups were sampled for physical, chemical and microbiological analysis 120th day after ensiling. At the end of the ensiling period, all silages were subjected to an aerobic stability test for 7 days. In addition, enzimatic solubility of organic matter (ESOM), metabolizable energy (ME), and relative feed value (RFV) of these silages were determined. Results: pH level decreased in the cumin groups compared to CON (p<0.05), thus inhibiting proteolytic enzymes from breaking down proteins into ammonia. In addition, it increased ESOM amount, and concordantly provided an increase of ME contents. Similarly, dry matter intake and RFV ratio increased. After opening the silage, it kept its aerobic stability for three days. Conclusion: Cumin essential oil improved fermentation, and affected chemical and microbiological characteristics of silages. Especially the addition of 300 mg/kg cumin provided cell wall fractionation through stimulating the activities of enzymes responsible. It also increased the number and activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) through providing a development of LAB.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2014

To provide the basic data on the utilization of chlorella as a method to improve the quality of forage, we examined the effect of the addition of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and chlorella on the change of nutritive value, quality and microbes on Italian ryegrass and alfalfa mixture silage (IRG-Alfalfa silage). The nutritive values of IRG-Alfalfa silage were not significantly different in all treatments. The pH of IRG-Alfalfa silage decreased in both LAB and chlorella treatments. Further the content of lactic acid in the LAB treatment increased as compared to the control, and also significantly increased in the treatment of LAB with chlorella (p<0.05). In addition, the number of LAB increased in lactic acid bacteria treatment as compared to the control, and also increased in the treatment of LAB with chlorella (p<0.05). Therefore, we suggest that LAB and chlorella would improve the quality of IRG-Alfalfa silage.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 1989

A comparative slaughter feeding experiment with steer calves weighing 280 kg and a concurrent digestion trial with wether lambs was conducted to study the energy value of rice straw as influenced by ammonia treatment and mixing with alfalfa hay. Steers were ad libitum fed one of nine completely mixed experimental diets: basal (high concentrate); 25 or 50% of untreated rice straw (URS) or ammoniated (plastic covered bales, 4.6% $NH_3$ by weight) rice straw (ARS) proportionately replacing part of the basal; a 50:50 % mixture of URS or ARS and alfalfa replacing a proportion of the basal at 25 and 50%. Digestibility of the nine complete diets (pelleted to prevent sorting) was determined with four ad libitum fed lambs. Ammoniation increased crude protein level (from 3.6 to 10.8%) and in vitro dry matter digestibility of the rice straw by 15%. The improvement in DE, NEm and NEg by ammoniation of rice straw was 20, 52 and 117%, respectively. Ammoniation of rice straw fed as 50% of the diet improved gains over the diet containing 50% URS, but no significant influence on animal performance was observed when rice straw was fed at the 25% level. Each 10% addition of URS to basal diet decreased empty body gain of steers by 116 gram per day compared with a decrease of 70 gram per day when rice straw had been ammoniated. There was no beneficial effect of ammoniation when the roughage component of the diet was a 50:50 mixture of rice straw and alfalfa. Ammoniation of straw and inclusion of alfalfa generally increased the concentration of total volatile fatty acids in rumen fluid. Ammoniation resulted in reduced concentrations of acetic and propionic acid, but increased concentration of butyric acid. Digestibility of URS was improved by mixing with alfalfa. However, alfalfa hay did not influence digestibility of ARS. Diets in which ARS replaced the basal mixture at 25 and 50% had higher NEm and NEg values than comparable URS diets. The same pattern was observed in the straw: alfalfa mixtures, but differences between URS and ARS were significant only for the 50% roughage diets.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1987

There are differences in opinion as to whether nitrogen fertilizer should be used when establishing alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Various reports show that under a hot environment, rhizobia (Rhizobium meliloti) are not as effective in fixing atmospheric nitrogen as they are under moderate temperatures. It is also believed that the addition of nitrogen fertilizer inhibits nodulation of alfalfa seedlings. A replicated experiment was conducted under controlled environmental conditions at the University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA, to determine the effects of nitrogen application on seedling growth and nodulation of alfalfa grown in a hot environment. Sterile sand was used as the growing media to which a complete nutrient solution minus nitrogen was applied volumetrically to each pot daily. In addition, half of the pots received NH4-$NO_3$, at the rate of 11.2 kg per ha at seeding and at two and four weeks after planting giving a total nitrogen application rate of 33.6 kg per ha during the seven-week experimental period. Rhizobia inoculant (R-12) consisted of a mixture of strains 171-15a, 1682c and 80 PI 265 of (Rhizobium meliloti). Inoculant was applied to the seeds prior to planting and to the sand media at two and four weeks after seeding. Twenty seeds were planted in pots 14.0 cm in diameter and 11.5 cm deep. Plants were thinned to ten plants per pot after emergence and were grown in a controlled environment chamber with a 16-hour light period. Soil temperature at 6 cm depth ranged from 17.4^{\circ}C.$ to 31.1^{\circ}C.$ and had a daily mean of 26.5^{\circ}C.$. Plants were harvested at weekly intervals for seven weeks. Root, shoot and total length, dry weight, volume and number of nodules per plant were determined. Root, shoot, and total length were greater in seedlings grown in soil where nigrogen was applied than that grown in soil to which no nitrogen was applied. The average size of the seedlings as determined by volume and weight was more than two times greater where plants were fertilized with nitrogen. Nodule number per seedling was also greater when nitrogen was applied compared to those which received no nitrogen. The differences were greater as the plants became older. The rhizobia did not fix enough nitrogen for adequate growth of seedlings. This is probably due to high temperature growing conditions that caused the rhizobia to become relatively ineffective as compared to cooler growing conditions. Data suggests it would be desirable to apply nitrogen at seeding when alfalfa is established under hot conditions that occur in mid- or late summer.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.184-188
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• 2011

The melatonin, total polyphenol contents, and DPPH radical scavenging activity were determined in alfalfa, chicory, rape, red kale and sunflower after germination for four days at $24{\pm}0.1^{\circ}C$. Compared with seeds, melatonin content was increased in all sprouts, at the highest level in red kale (2,502.9 pg/g, 5.6 times higher than seed) followed by rape (2,430.1 pg/g), chicory (2,037.7 pg/g), alfalfa (1,160.8 pg/g) and sunflower (768.2 pg/g) sprout, however, the addition of tryptophan (0.5 mM), the precursor of melatonin synthesis, did not show any desirable effect. Both polyphenol content and DPPH radical scavenging activity were substantially increased in chicory (8.7 mg/g, 66%), rape (10.7 mg/g, 51%) and red kale (11.0 mg/g, 53%) sprouts, but not in alfalfa and sunflower sprouts. Melatonin content per gram polyphenol (ng/g) was also increased in all sprouts through germination. Germination was effective in increasing melatonin in all seeds tested, while its effect on polyphenol content and DPPH radical scavenging activity was species dependent.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.301-307
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• 2009

To understand the adaptability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to chilling stress, we analyzed the antioxidative mechanism during seed germination. The germination rates of six alfalfa cultivars were studied comparatively at $10^{\circ}C$. Xinmu No. 1 and Northstar were selected as chilling stress-tolerant and stress-sensitive cultivars for further characterization. After chilling treatment, Xinmu No. 1 showed higher seedling growth than Northstar. Xinmu No. 1 exhibited low levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation compared with Northstar. In addition, shoots in Xinmu No. 1 treated with chilling showed higher activities of the superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase than those of Northstar, whereas Xinmu No. 1 showed higher APX activity in roots that Northstar. These results indicated that high antioxidation activity in Xinmu No. 1 under chilling stress is well associated with tolerance to chilling condition during germination.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.5-11
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• 1993

First crop of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was harvested, wilted and ensiled with or without NaOH or $NH_3$, and fed to three rumen fistulated goats in a $3{\times}3$ Latin-square design. Each alkali treatment (2.44% of alfalfa dry matter) was made by spraying its solution prior to ensiling. Silage pH, $NH_3-N$ and butyric acid concentration were increased with each alkali addition, and NaOH-treated silage showed the lowest chemical quality. Compared with untreated silage, digestibilities of organic matter, ADF and cellulose were depressed by both alkali treatments, and the reductions in NaOH-treated silage were significant. Crude protein digestibility was also significantly decreased in NaOH-treated silage, but the goats receiving the silage excreted less nitrogen in urine than those on the other two silages. Nitrogen retention of goats was not different among the treatments. Ruminal solubility and potential degradability of dry matter and nitrogen determined with the in situ bag technique were reduced, and rate of degradation of the two components were increased by the NaOH treatment. Addition of $NH_3$ provided ruminal soluble nitrogen to the silage, but the rate of degradation was similar to that of untreated silage. These results suggest that NaOH treatment would denature the protein and reduce the susceptibility to microbial degradation in the rumen, while no positive effect of alkali treatment on fiber digestion and nitrogen utilization was observed in this study.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.151-156
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• 1986

There are differences in recommendations in the USA as to whether nitrogen fertilizer should be applied when establishing alfalfa (Medicago sativa L). The reason for not applying nitrogen is because some researchers found the addition of nitrogen reduced nodulation of alfalfa plants. A replicated experiment was conducted under controlled environmental conditions at the University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA, to determine the effects of nitrogen application on seedling growth and nodulation of alfalfa when grown in a cool environment. A sterile sand was used in the growing media to which a complete nutrient solution minus nitrogen was applied volumetrically to each pot daily. Half of the pots received $NH_4NO_3$, at the rate of 11.2 kg/ha, at seeding and two and four weeks after planting, giving a total nitrogen application rate of 33.6 kg/ha. Rhizobia inoculant (R-12) consisted of a mixture of strains 171-15a. 1682c and 80 PI 265 of Rhizobium meliloti. Inoculant was applied to the seeds prior to planting and to the sand media at two and four weeks after seeding. Twenty seeds were planted in pots 14.0 cm in diameter and 11.5 cm deep. Seedlings were thinned after emergence to ten plants per pot. They were grown in a controlled environment chamber with a 16-hour light period. Soil temperatures at 6 cm depth ranged from $5.7^{\circ}C\;to\;21.5^{\circ}C$ and had a daily mean of $16.2^{\circ}C$ Plants were harvested at weekly intervals for seven weeks at which time root, shoot and total length, dry weight, volume and number of nodules per plant were determined. Root, shoot and total length were not affected by nitrogen fertilizer. However, application of nitrogen increased the size of the seedlings as determined by dry weight and volume when compared to plants which were not fertilized. This indicates that rhizobia did not fix enough atmospheric nitrogen to promote good growth. Nitrogen application resulted in significantly more nodules per plant. The effect of nitrogen fertilizer became more apparent as the plant became older. Results of this experiment show there are benefits from applying nitrogen at a low rate when establishing alfalfa under a cool environment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1278-1284
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• 2017

Objective: To assess the potency of calcium propionate (CAP) used as silage additive, an experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of CAP on the nitrogen transformation, fermentation quality and aerobic stability of alfalfa silages. Methods: Alfalfa was ensiled with four levels of CAP (5, 10, 15, and 20 g/kg of fresh weight [FW]) in laboratory silos for 30 days. After opening, the silages were analyzed for the chemical and microbiological characteristics, and subjected to an aerobic stability test. Results: The increasing proportion of CAP did not affect pH, lactic acid (LA) concentrations and yeast counts, while linearly decreased counts of enterobacteria (p = 0.029), molds (p<0.001) and clostridia (p<0.001), and concentrations of acetic acid (p<0.001), propionic acid (p<0.001), butyric acid (p<0.001), and ethanol (p = 0.007), and quadratically (p = 0.001) increased lactic acid bacteria counts. With increasing the proportion of CAP, the dry matter (DM) loss (p<0.001), free amino acid N (p<0.001), ammonia N (p = 0.004), and non-protein N (p<0.001) contents were linearly reduced, whereas DM (p = 0.048), water soluble carbohydrate (p<0.001) and peptide N (p<0.001) contents were linearly increased. The highest Flieg's point was found in CAP10 (75.9), represented the best fermentation quality. All silages treated with CAP improved aerobic stability as indicated by increased stable hours compared with control. Conclusion: The addition of CAP can suppress the undesirable microorganisms during ensiling and exposure to air, thereby improving the fermentation quality and aerobic stability as well as retarding the proteolysis of alfalfa silage. It is suggested that CAP used as an additive is recommended at a level of 10 g/kg FW.