Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

A Literature Review
In AGN001 (Agricultural Genetics)
First Semester, AY 2022-2023

Submitted by
Ryan Rey B. Pescador
Argel Cezar A. Waga
Althea Abadies
MSUN- Animal Science Student

Submitted to
Rochelle Paculba
ANSCIE Professor
INTRODUCTION

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is popularly known as the "Queen of Forages" because
to its high forage nutritional content. Alfalfa is a perennial legume with a high yield that
works well in systems for managing hay, silage, baleage, and grazing. Alfalfa is an
important perennial herbaceous crop. Most people are familiar with annual crops planted
in the spring and harvested in the fall, and with woody perennial crops grapes, apples,
cherries but there also are perennial crops that are non-woody. While a few produce food
for humans sugar cane, asparagus, rhubarb, groundnuts most herbaceous perennial crops
are ‘forage’ crops producing food (usually called ‘hay’) for domesticated animals,
especially horses and cattle. While many think of hay as being annual and perennial
grasses, there are a number of dicot flowering plants, including alfalfa and clover, both
perennials, that are very important sources of ‘hay’. Humans do eat alfalfa plants, but only
in the form of alfalfa ‘sprouts’, young germinated seeds. The leaflets lengthen as they
mature. It bears clusters of tiny purple flowers that are followed by fruits with 10–20 seeds
that are spiraled in two to three rotations. Native to a warmer climate It has been cultivated
as livestock fodder since at least the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Alfalfa is mostly produced in the northern and western parts of the nation. Due to
limitations brought on by difficult weather, pest pressure, and disease pressure, there has
been a decline in alfalfa acres in the Southeast of the United States over the past century.
Alfalfa's ability to maintain stands has recently improved thanks to forage breeding efforts
and studies connected to better management techniques. As a result, the Southeast is
gradually seeing a comeback of the crop.
Botanical description

Alfalfa is a herbaceous perennial with a taproot that penetrates very deeply. A woody base
gives rise to procumbent, ascending, and erect stems. Stipules are triangular, 5 to 15 millimeters
long, pubescent on the lower surface and glabrous on the upper side, connected at the base, and
coarsely serrated on the leaf's trifoliate surface. A 5 to 30 millimeter long pubescent petiole.
Leaflets are small, 8 to 28 millimeters by 3 to 15 millimeters by dentate near the apex, oblong to
ovate or obovate shapes. Inflorescences are in dense racemes with 10 to 35 flowers each, and they
have peduncles that are 1 to 5 centimeters long, pedicels that are 1.5 to 2 millimeters long, 5-lobed
calyxes that are 3 to 6 millimeters long, and corollas that are typically purple or blue but can
occasionally be white with yellow cultivars. From two to five coils of three, the pod coiled.

Scientific Classification

Medicago sativa, or alfalfa, is a perennial, clover-like, legume plant of the pea family
(Fabaceae), commonly produced for hay, pasturage, and silage. It is also known as lucerne or
purple medic. Alfalfa is known for its exceptional productivity and herbage quality as well as its
outstanding resistance to heat, cold, and drought. The plant is planted as a cover crop and as green
manure and is appreciated for its ability to enhance soil.

Characteristics

Trifoliate leaves, with long narrow leaflets serrated at the tips. Stipules are large anointed.
Flower is commonly purple but may vary among shades of white, yellow and purple. Deep taproot.
HISTORY

Alfalfa was initially grown in ancient Iran, while its origins are thought to be in
south-central Asia. It was brought to Greece, according to Pliny who died in 79 AD, when
the Persians invaded Greek land in 490 BC. Palladius wrote about alfalfa cultivation in his
fourth-century AD book Opus Agriculture, stating that "one sow-down lasts ten years. The
crop may be cut four or six times a year. A jugerum of it is abundantly sufficient for three
horses all the year... It may be given to cattle, but new provender is at first to be
administered very sparingly because it bloats the cattle. Citrons were referred to as medica
by the ancient Greeks and Romans because, once more, they thought they originated from
the Medes. Medicago, the current scientific name for the genus of alfalfa, is derived from
this word.

Ibn al-'Awwam, an Arabic agriculturalist who resided in Spain in the later 12th
century, wrote on how to grow alfalfa, which he termed (al-fifia). Alfalfa is grown for
animal feed and eaten in both fresh and dried forms, according to Lisn al-'Arab, a general-
purpose Arabic lexicon published in the 13th century. The Spanish name "alfalfa" is a
translation from the Arabic. Spanish colonists brought alfalfa to the Americas in the 16th
century so they could feed their horses there.

It was known as lucerne in the North American colonies of the eastern US in the
18th century, and numerous attempts to grow it were made, but in most cases, they were
unsuccessful. Today, only a small amount of alfalfa is grown in the southeast of the US.
Lucerne or luzerne is the name for alfalfa in Britain, Australia, France, Germany, and a
number of other countries. In the 1850s, seeds of alfalfa were brought from Chile to
California. That marked the start of the crop's quick and widespread adoption across the
western US States, which also brought the word "alfalfa" into common usage. The word
"alfalfa" has been gradually gaining ground in other languages because North and South
America now supply a significant portion of the global output.

STATUS IN THE PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, traditional alfalfa is grown, but there is limited overall production. The
complete demand has not been met by this and other sources of cow feed, particularly during the
dry season. By using alfalfa as an alternative, the traditional, labor-intensive cut-and-carry methods
of feeding forage to cows may be reduced. The usage of all other alternative cattle feed, whether
“genetically modified” or conventional, imported or locally sourced, is also responsible for any
such effect, which cannot be attributed to the subject GM crop alone. In any case, it is best to
understand the implications of using GM crops for food, feed, and processing on particular ethnic
or cultural groups in the context of involvement and participation.
 Monsanto Philippines Inc submitted an original application on June 25, 2020, for
alfalfa under the DOST-DADENR-DOH-DILG Joint Department Circular (JDC) No. 1 Series of
2016 for direct use as food and feed or for processing. Alfalfa is as safe for human consumption
and animal feed as its conventional counterpart, according to the Scientific and Technical Review
Panel (STRP), the Bureau of Animal Industry-Biotech Team (BAI-BT), and other assessors who
reviewed the Risk Assessment Report and attachments provided by the applicant.

VARIETY

The commercially available alfalfa types that have been modified for usage in Alabama are
briefly described here. Generally, depending on the locale, cultivars with a dormancy score of 5 to
8 can be successful in the state. For assistance selecting a selection based on the location of your
site and the weather, speak with your local Extension agent.

Joe Bouton created Alfagraze at the University of Georgia, and it was published in 1990.
The Roundup Ready (RR) variant of this plant, which was the first in the South to be graze-
adapted, has improved weed management. A commercialized, genetically altered alfalfa type with
good grazing tolerance is called "Alfagraze" 300 Roundup Ready (RR). The "Alfagraze 600 RR"
is ideally suited to grazing systems and has high nutritional value qualities. It has a fall dormancy
score of 6, good disease resistance to Fusarium wilt, and high resistance to root knot nematode.
Additionally, it is a Roundup Ready cultivar, making weed control simpler. For farms to purchase
varieties with the Roundup Ready technology, they must register with the seed vendor and pay a
fee structure for technology use.

Bouton created the "Bulldog" variant, which serves two purposes (hay or grazing
management). With a fall dormancy score of 5, "Bulldog" 505 has good disease resistance and
drought tolerance. In northern Alabama, it thrives. Similar to "Bulldog" 805, this alfalfa cultivar
serves two purposes. It can be used to grow hay, regulate grazing, or create feeding plots for
wildlife. This type thrives in southern Alabama and has an 8 fall dormancy rating. It also has
exceptional disease and drought resistance. These cultivars lack Roundup Ready technology.

HarvXtra is a different type that has been tailored to the Southeast. This variety's lignin
concentration was decreased through genetic modification to increase fodder quality when the
plant reaches maturity. By extending the cutting window, this improvement gives producers
options, and it also incorporates RR technology. Regional experiments have shown that HarvXtra
can produce up to 26 percent more yield with a 16 percent higher relative forage quality (RFQ) at
a 35-day harvesting interval compared to traditional types.

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

The annual production of alfalfa forage normally ranges from 4 to 10 tons per acre. It might
produce more than 14 tons per acre with irrigation and more extensive management. Total
digestible nutrients (TDN) concentrations range from 60 to 65 percent, whereas crude protein
concentrations (CP) range from 18 to 25 percent. Depending on variety and weather, forage spread
typically spans April through September and October. The typical expectation for stand production
longevity in the Southeast is 3 to 5 years. In alfalfa monocultures, hay production is the most
common defoliation method used.

The recommendation for the first cutting in the first year of stand establishment is when
plants have reached or surpassed the 25 percent bloom stage. Subsequent harvests should occur at
or near 10 percent bloom, which typically corresponds to a 28- to 35-day regrowth interval. The
last cutting will usually occur during the fall, depending on the site location and the first hard frost.
In early spring, animals should be exposed for a short time to alfalfa pastures for adaptation. Use
rotational grazing to allow plant regrowth until 10 percent bloom (10 to 16 inches high). The target
stubble height for grazing should be 4 inches. Beef and dairy cattle may be provided with a feed
supplement containing monensin.

Crop Improvement/development

The successful strategies have been designed to improve both alfalfa yield and forage
quality by biotechnological means. A promising approach was the overexpression of alfalfa.
Transgenic plants displayed increased total biomass, root length and delayed flowering (Aung et
al., 2015).

SUMMARY

Alfalfa is a perennial legume with a large yield that has qualities that make it an excellent
source of crude protein and fodder. Although it is widely cultivated throughout the country, the
Southeast saw a decline in productivity over time due to environmental conditions, pest and disease
pressure, and other factors. Alfalfa is gradually returning to the Southeast and being incorporated
into forage systems for hay production or under grazing management thanks to forage breeding
and better management techniques. In order to ensure the viability of alfalfa systems and to ensure
their durability and profitability, understanding best practices for setup and management is
necessary.

CONCLUSION

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), often known as the "Queen of Forages," is the most
frequently grown and utilized forage legume species in the world. Particularly in the field of
genetic modification, it is a great model species for biotechnology. Recent advancements have
increased its traditional uses as a hay, silage, and deny crop to include a bigger role as grazing for
direct cattle consumption. It's also being researched as a fuel for power generation, a
bioremediation technique for removing toxic nitrates, as well as a source of pulp for paper making.
REFERENCES

Ball, D.M.; Hoveland, C.S.; Lacefield, G.D. 2015. Southern Forages: Modern concepts for forage
crop management, 5th edition. International Plant Nutrition Institute.

Hancock, D.; Buntin, G.D.; Ely, L.O.; Lacy, R.C; Heusner, G.L.; Stewart Jr., R.L. 2015. Alfalfa
Management in Georgia. Athens, University of Georgia. Available at
https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/ publications/files/pdf/B%201350_3.PDF

Monsanto. 2012. Feed/Food Safety and Nutritional Assessment of Alfalfa KK179. FDA BNF No.
138. Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International. St. Louis, Missouri and West
Salem, Wisconsin.

Petruzzello, M. Is Associate Editor of Plant and Environmental Science and covers a range of
content from plants, algae, and fungi, to renewable energy and environmental
engineering. She has her M.S. in Plant Biology and Conservation from Northwestern
University (2011) and a B.S. in Biological Science from Biola University (2008).

PhilippineStatisticsAuthority,June2020.DetailedStatisticalTableonImports.2019FoodandTradeSt
atisticsofthePhilippines.AccessedonJanuary24,2021athttps://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/
2019%20Foreign%20Trade%20Statistics%20of%20the%20Philippines.