Renovating Alfalfa Stands in Arizona
Alfalfa is an important crop grown in Arizona with over 285,000 acres in production in 2011 (USDA, NASS 2012). A typical yield for Arizona alfalfa growers ranges from 7-9 tons per acre. Cutting typically starts in March going through till November, with majority of production occurring from March to mid-July. Here in Arizona producers will typically keep stands for four to five years before rotating. Older alfalfa stands age and thin and will eventually decline in plant density and yield. After a failed seeding, thinning, or winterkill producers often wish to improve their stands by reseeding. However because of autotoxicity effects reseeding alfalfa stands is rarely successful.
Keywords:
- alfalfa
- autotoxicity
- renovation
Publication Date:
February 2014
AZ1608-2014
Pages:
2 pp.