• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.310-315
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• 2000

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants have been reported to contain water-soluble substances that are autotoxic as well as allelopathic. Laboratory experiment through a petri-dish assay with imbibed seeds was conducted to evaluate both autotoxic and allelopathic effects of alfalfa leaf extracts on the germination and early seedling growth of alfalfa, red clover, crested wheatgrass, and Russian wildrye. Alfalfa seed germination was delayed dependent on extract concentration, with no difference in final germination at 72 hours. Root growth of alfalfa was stimulated up to 14% above control at very low concentrations of both leaf and stem extracts of alfalfa and was significantly reduced at extract concentration of more than 0.5g dry tissue/L (${gL}_{-1}$). Leaf extracts were generally more autotoxic for root growth than were stem extracts. Hypocotyl growth was not affected by all the concentrations of both leaf and stem extracts. Root length of legumes was more sensitive to the autotoxic chemicals from leaf extracts than was germination or shoot length. Hypocotyl growth of two legume plants and plant height of two grasses were not influenced by extracts. Seed germination and root growth of legumes were more inhibited by aqueous extracts of alfalfa leaf than were those of grasses. This result indicates autotoxic effect of alfalfa leaf extracts seems to be greater than allelopathic effect.

• 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.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.134-138
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• 2000

Most parts of alfalfa plant have been reported to contain autotoxic substances that inhibit seed germination and early seedling growth, however, the chemical(s) is not still studied much. Effect of seed leachates of 'Vernal' alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was evaluated for inhibition of alfalfa germination and root growth through bioassay. Alfalfa seeds were extracted in 1 L deionized water for 1 h after soaking and the leachates caused to reduce root length of alfalfa significantly as the soaking time increased. Crude seeds at 4 g L$L^{-1}$ exudated autotoxins that reduce significantly root length by 34 % compared to the control, when the seeds soaked in deionized water for 24 h. However, the extracts did not affect final germination as well as speed of germination. Extracts from ground seeds significantly reduced speed of germination (GT 50) and root length. The results indicate that release of autotoxic substances from seeds during seed imbibition was increased with increase of soaking time and seed amount, and that autotoxicity was more occurred in ground seeds than in crude seeds.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2004

Compositae plants are known to contain biologically active substances that are allelopathic to agricultural crops as well as weed species. Aqueous extracts from leaves of Xanthium occidentale were assayed against alfalfa (Medicago sativa) to determine their allelopathic effects, and the result showed that the extracts applied onto filter paper significantly inhibited seed germination as well as root growth of alfalfa. Untreated seeds germinated in 60h, but extract concentrations greater than 30g $\textrm{L}^{-1}$ delayed seed germination. The extracts significantly inhibited seed germination of alfalfa, and $\beta$-amylase activity of alfalfa and barley seeds during 24-36 hours after treatment. Aqueous extracts of 40 g $\textrm{L}^{-1}$ from X. occidentale were completely inhibited the hypocotyl and root growth of alfalfa. Aqueous leaf extracts showed the highest inhibitory effect and followed by root and stem extracts. Early seedling growth of both alfalfa and barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) was significantly reduced by methanol extracts. By means of high-performance liquid chromatography, chlorogenic acid and trans-cinnamic acid were quantified as the highest amounts from water and EtOAc fractions, respectively. BuOH and EtOAc fractions of X. occidentale reduced alfalfa root growth more than did hexane and water fractions. The findings of the bioassays for aqueous or methanol extracts reflected that the inhibitory effect of extract was closely related to the level of responsible allelochemicals found in plant extracts.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1445-1450
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• 2012

A study was conducted to evaluate effects of alfalfa meal on growth performance and gastrointestinal tract development of growing layer ducks to provide evidence for application of alfalfa meal in the duck industry. Two hundred and fifty-six healthy Shaoxing 7-wk old growing layer ducks were selected and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatments based on corn and soybean meal and containing 0, 3, 6, and 9% of alfalfa meal for 8 wks. Each treatment consisted of 4 replicates of 16 ducks each. Briefly, birds were raised in separate compartments, and each compartment consisted of three parts: indoor floor house, adjacent open area and a connecting water area. The results showed: i) Growing ducks fed alfalfa meal diet were not significantly different in average daily gain, feed intake and gain-to-feed ratio from those fed no alfalfa diet (p>0.05). ii) Alfalfa meal increased the ratio crop, gizzard to live weight, caecum to live weight, the caecum index of growing ducks (p<0.05). iii) Villus height in duodenum and jejunum of growing ducks increased significantly with the increase of alfalfa meal levels (p<0.05). Crypt depth in duodenum and jejunum of growing ducks decreased significantly with the increase of alfalfa meal levels (p<0.05). This experiment showed that feeding of alfalfa meal to growing layer ducks could improve gastrointestinal tract growth and small intestinal morphology without effect on performance. This experiment provides evidence that alfalfa meal is a very valuable feedstuff for growing layer ducks.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.239-248
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• 1997

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of antagonistic microorganisms, Bacillus spp., on growth of alfalfa(Medicag0 sativa L.) in repeated cultivation soil(RCS) and unrepeated cultivation soil(URCS). Alfalfa was established by seeding into pots 12 cm in diameter and 9 cm in depth containing 1 : 1 mixture of soil and vermiculite with antagonistic bacteria and pathogenic fungi. The growth experiment of alfalfa was conducted in pots in a vinyl house. The bacteria used in this study were Bacillus subtilis and hsants. B. subtilis was isolated and identified 60m forage rhizosphere soil and hsants isolated through cell fusion fiom B. subtilis 101 and B. thuringiensis. B. subtilis was named B. subtilis 101 and hsants named F -3 and F -8. From dark culture experimenf alfalfa was longer lived in treated soil with antagonistic bacteria than that in non-treated soil, and longer lived in URCS than that in RCS. However, alfalfa was shorter lived in RCS and URCS than that in autoclaved RCS. The number of leaves of alfalfa were positively affected by the inoculation of the antagonistic bacteria in both RCS and URCS. Dry weight of shoot and root was increased by the inoculation of the antagonistic bacteria(P< 0.05). However, the growth of alfalfa was decreased by the inoculation of the pathogenic hngi both RCS apd URCS.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.88-92
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• 1994

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of lime(0, 250, 500 and 1,000 kg/lOa) and phosphate (0, 17 and 34 kg/lOa) applications on growth and nitrogen fixation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The phosphate applications improved(p<0.05) shoot, root and root nodule dry weight of Alfalfa and acetylene reduction activity of alfalfa with increasing levels of phosphate in the soil pH 6.2 at 7 and 12 weeks(ear1y bloom) after sowing, but these were not influnced with lime applications. Total nitrogen content of each part of alfalfa was increased with lime application, but was not significantly different by levels of lime application at 7 weeks after sowing. Application of phosphate did not affect total nitrogen content of each part of alfalfa. Total nitrogen contents of each part of alfalfa were not significantly different between lime and non-lime application at 12 weeks(ear1y bloom) after sowing but were decreased(p<0.05) with phosphate application(p< 0.05). These results suggest that lime(250 kg/lOa) and phosphate(34 kg/lOa) applications are effective for the growth and the nitrogen fixation of alfalfa at the soil pH 6.20.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 1995

Greenhouse and laboratory studies were conducted to investigate allelopathic potential of some weed species on alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.) germination and seedling growth. In the comparison between top(leaves+stems) and root extracts, top extract exhibited greater allelopathic effects on alfalfa germination than that of root. The various weed species extract differently responded to alfalfa test species, WL-320, in terms of allelopathic effect. Top and root aqueous extracts of lambsquarter(Chenopodium album L.), giant foxtail(Setaria faberii Herrm.), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), velvetleaf(Abutilon theophrasti Medic.), crabgrass(Digitaria sanguinalis L.), canada thistle(Cirsium arvense L.) and prostrate knotweed(Polygonium aviculare L.) significantly inhibited germination, seedling length, weight, vigor, and rate of germination of alfalfa. The regression slopes of various top extracts showed that velvetleaf(b=3.69) extracts were the most inhibitory, while large crabgrass(b=2.39) extracts had the least allelopathic effect on alfalfa germination. Germination, seedling length and weight of alfalfa were inversely proportional to the concentration of dried velvetleaf extracts. Also, more of the toxic effects were observed from the dried extracts compared to the fresh extracts. Residue of velvetleaf inhibited significantly alfalfa emergence and survival percentage compared to the control. The emergence and survival percentage of alfalfa were 44%, 57% at 1.0% residue treatment, respectively. When weed residues were mixed with silica sand with incubation time, velvetleaf residue most inhibited alfalfa growth. The degree of inhibition increased as incubation time increased. An incubation for 72h caused the greatest inhibition of alfalfa growth. These results demonstrate the different allelopathic activity of weed species extracts on alfalfa and suggest that weed may affect alfalfa growth and development through the inhibitory effects of allelochemicals present in weed tissue.

• Plant Resources
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2000

Autotoxicity restricts reseeding of new alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.) after alfalfa until autotoxic chemical(s) breaks down or is dispersed into external environments, often requiring up to a year or more. One solution for reducing autotoxicity would be to select germplasms or cultivars with tolerance to the autotoxic chemical(5) and use genetically breeding program. Bioassay of seed germination and early seedling growth was conducted to evaluate autotoxic responses of 3 varieties of alfalfa to the water-soluble extracts(at 4 and 8g/L) from alfalfa ‘Cody’leaf by using agar and filter paper medium in a petri-dish assay. Root length at 5 days after seeding was more sensitive to the extract than was hypocotyl length or seed germination, and was a better parameter of autotoxic effects of alfalfa leaf extracts. Use of an agar medium gave better sensitivity of root length than did use of filter paper. Evaluating tolerance with percent of control was more important indicator than was mean of root length because of significant variation among varieties in root length of control treatment. Bioassay ranked varieties in the following order of tolerance on the basis of relative root length; “Cody” >“ Pioneer 5373” >“ Alfagraze”. Seedling growth from old “Cody” seed was more sensitive to the autotoxic chemical(5) than was that from newly produced seed.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.162-167
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• 2021

Aluminum (Al) stress in acidic pH is known to decrease the growth and productivity of alfalfa. However, not much is known about how the application of silicon (Si) affects the Al stress response in alfalfa. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of exogenous application of Si on the growth of alfalfa seedlings exposed to Al stress in pots. Alfalfa seedlings grown in pots for 2 weeks were treated either Al stress (pH 4.0, 0.2 mM Al) or Al stress + Si (1 mM) for 5 days, lengths and biomass of shoot and root, and chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in leaf tissues were analyzed respectively. Al stress treatment inhibited shoot and root growth, and decreased fresh and dry weights, and chlorophyll content in leaves, but increased carotenoid content. In contrast, when alfalfa seedlings treated with Al stress combined with Si, delayed growth caused by Al stress of shoot and root of alfalfa seedlings was restored, dry weight was increased and chlorophyll content of leaf tissue was increased, but carotenoid content was decreased. These results suggest that Si has a function of alleviating Al toxicity in alfalfa, of which it exhibits a mitigating effect by a function that overlaps with some of the intracellular functions of carotenoids.