Alfalfa is the most widely grown perennial legume in North Dakota. Its primary use is for hay, but it is also used for pasture and haylage and as a green manure crop. The acreage harvested for hay Table 1 held relatively constant from the mid 1950s to 1970. The acreage increased to nearly 2 million acres during the 1970s and is currently at about 1.7 million acres. During this same time period the acreage of native hay harvested has also decreased. Total hay acreage is influenced most by moisture, increasing during and after dry years and declining after wet years. Alfalfa is a perennial crop which must store food reserves or carbohydrates starches and sugars in its crown and taproot for winter survival. Adequate food reserves are essential for development of cold resistance, for plant respiration or maintenance during the winter, and to initiate new growth in the spring and following each harvest. A knowledge of the carbohydrate storage pattern in alfalfa is fundamental to understanding the plants response to various management systems.

Address: Morrill Hall, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Telephone: 701 231-7881
Website: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/hay/r571-1.htm