Botanical Name : Medicago Sativa L.
Family : Fabaceae (Alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily : Faboideae
Tribe : Trifolieae

Introduction

· Lucerne Or Alfalfa Is One Of The Oldest Cultivated Fodder Crops. Roman Writers Described Its Value As Feeds For Horses And Other Animals As Early As 490 BC. Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) Is Derived Primarily From M. Coerulea, A Diploid 2n=16 That Grows Wild In Grasslands Of South West Iran, Caucasan Region And Eastern Anatolia. Tetraploids Are Usually More Vigorous Than Diploids.

· Lucerne Is A Native To South West Asia As Indicated By Occurrence Of Wild Types In The Cancasus And In Mountainous Region Of Afghanistan, Iran. The Cultivated Forms Probably Arose In Western Persia And Then Spread To Become Widely Cultivated Throughout Asia, Europe And America And Widely Distributed In Temperate Regions. The Genus Contains Large Number Of Species. In India Other Than M. Sativa, The Entire Groups Of Medics Are Treated As Wild Types. The Existing M. Sativa Is Largely A Tetraploid Species (2n=4x=32). However, Diploids And Hexaploids Are Also Found In Nature.

· Lucerne Is Commonly Called As Rijka In Northern India. It Is A Perennial Plant And Can Supply Green Fodder Continuously For 3–4 Years From The Same Crop Stand. The Root System Is Deep And So Can Be Easily Grown In The Areas Where Water Is In Short Supply. Lucerne Has High Palatability For All Kinds Of Livestock As It Provides Nutritious Fodder And Possesses About 16-25% Crude Protein And 20–30% Fiber. Due To Its High Protein And Vitamin A Content, It Is Included As A Feed Component For Poultry And Piggery. Lucerne Provides Green Fodder For A Longer Period (November-June) In Northern Parts And Throughout The Year In Other Parts Of The Country Where Winters Are Not Severe. In India, Lucerne Occupies One Million Hectare Area And Provides 60 To 130 Tonnes Of Green Forage/Ha. It Is Grown As A Farm Crop In Punjab (13,554 Acres), Western Districts Of UP, Maharashtra (18400 Acres), Gujarat (19,900 Acres), Tamil Nadu And WB. After Sorghum And Berseem, Lucerne Is 3rd Important Forage Crop In India. Alfalfa Is A Perennial Species With Indeterminate Growth Habit, Profuse Basally Branched And Erect Type.

Botanical Description

· Mostly Erect To Sub-Erect Perennial Herbs, 30–60 Cm, Pubescent To Subglabrous. Leaflets 5–20 Mm Long, 3–10 Mm Broad, Obovate To Sublinear, Dentate At Apex, Appressed Pubescent; Entire Or Dentate At Base. Inflorescence A Peduncled Raceme, Peduncle Much Longer Than Petiole. Calyx Teeth As Long As The Tube. Corolla 6-12 Mm Long, Violet To Pale Lavender. Fruit Falcate Or In A Loose Spiral Of 1–4 Turns, Glabrous To Appressed Pilose, 10–20 Seeded.

Cultivation Practices

· Lucerne Needs Sandy Loam To Clayey Soil While Heavy Soils Need An Efficient Drainage System, As The Crop Does Not Tolerate Water Logging. It Cannot Thrive On Alkaline Soils But Can Be Grown On Acid Soils With Liberal Application Of Lime. Lucerne Prefers A Fertile Soil, Which Is Rich In Organic Matter, Calcium, Phosphorous And Potash. Lucerne Requires Well Prepared Field As The Seeds Are Very Small. One Deep Ploughing With 2–3 Harrowings Followed By Planking Is Sufficient. The Best Sowing Time Of The Crop Is Mid October To Early November. However, Sowing Date May Spread From Early October In The North To Late December In The East And South Zone. In The Temperate Zone, Spring Sowing Is Done In March. The Seed Rate Depends Upon Method Of Sowing And Type Of The Crop, I.E., Pure Or Mixed Stands. In Broadcast Method, A Seed Rate Of 20–25 Kg/Ha Should Be Used While Line Sowing Needs Only 12–15 Kg/ Ha But In Case Of Intercropping, It Requires Only 6-12 Kg/Ha. Line Sowing Is Preferred Over Broadcasting,10 To 20 M Long Beds Should Be Made Along With Slope With Irrigation Channels 4–5 M Apart. Water Soaked Seed Is Sown In Shallow Furrows At Row Distance Of 30 Cm By Seed -Drill Or Kaira At Sufficient Soil Moisture. It Is Beneficial To Add Well Decomposed FYM @20–25 T/Ha Before Sowing In The First Year. Normally, 20 Kg N And 100 Kg P2O5/Ha Should Be Applied As Basal Dose For Good Harvest. Application Of Molybdenum And Boron May Be Done Based On Soil Test. In Subsequent Years, Annual Supplementation Of 80 Kg P2O5 And 40 Kg K2O/Ha Should Be Done. To Obtain Good Germination, Pre-Sowing Irrigation Is Essential. The Crop Needs Very Frequent Irrigations During Its Early Growth Period At An Interval Of About One Week But Once The Plants Are Established, Subsequent Irrigations Are Provided At An Interval Of 15–20 Days During Winter And 10–12 Days During Spring And Summer Seasons. Proper Drainage Should Be Ensured To Avoid Water Logging In Rainy Season. The First Cutting Should Be Taken At 55–65 Days After Sowing And The Subsequent Cuts May Be Taken 30–35 Days Interval. In General, Annual Lucerne Gives 4–5 Cuts While In The Perennial Crop, 7–8 Cuts Can Be Taken.