A Research on the Hay Yield and Quality of Alfalfa Cultivars with Different Fall Dormancy Ratio under Mediterranean Climate Conditions

Abstract

This research was carried out to determine the forage yield and some quality characteristics of alfalfa cultivars with different dormancy rates under Mediterranean conditions during the years of 2019 to 2021. The experiment was established according to a randomized block design with 3 replications, in the research area of Field Crops Department of Agricultural Faculty, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye. In the study, alfalfa cultivars Alsancak (FD: 8), Magna 601 (FD: 5-7), Nimet (FD: 8-9), Ozpinar (FD: 8) and Sunter (FD: 5-7) have been tested. Significant differences among cultivars in terms of plant height, green forage yield, hay yield, ADF, NDF, crude protein ratio, crude protein yield, digestible dry matter ratio, digestible dry matter yield and relative feed value were determined. It was concluded that the Nimet and Ozpinar cultivars with higher hay yield and quality can be more profitably grown as compared to other tested cultivars under Mediterranean climate conditions and can be recommended to the regional farmers.