Yield potential of alfalfa cultivar under Lithuanian environment conditions

Seeking to achieve a balanced functioning of agrocenoses, it is vital to maintain a high productivity level of the crops grown with organic management practices, which major problem is yield losses due to poor soil quality. Alfalfa (Medicago spp.) is one of the most valuable forage crops of leguminous family, whose root system penetrates to deeper layers of the soil, improving physical and chemical soil properties. However, the use of alfalfa is limited due to its sensitivity to soil conditions. The aim of this study was to assess alfalfaʼs agro-biological properties under various soil conditions. Field experiments were conducted in four different locations with optimal management. Agro-biological properties of six alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. and M. varia Marth.) cultivars of various geographic origin were evaluated in a high productivity Cambisol and Luvisol. It was determined that cultivar ‘Milda’ distinguished for good overwintering, plants of cultivars ‘Antanė’, ‘Malvina’ and ‘Skriveru’ were taller at the beginning of flowering, cultivar ‘Birutė’ distinguished for the highest grass yield, while ‘Antanė’ and ‘Birutė’ distinguished for the dry matter (DM) yield. In a low productivity Retisol, the pH and mobile aluminium concentration had a major influence on overwintering, fresh matter and DM yields of the examined alfalfa cultivars. Alfalfa overwintering was 10.1–20.7% while fresh matter and dry matter yields were 2.0–2.4 and 2.8 times lower compared to alfalfa grown in high productivity soil.