SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.23 issue1Charts of Maximum Rain in 24 Hours in Uruguay, for Different Periods of ReturnConsiderations About the Necessary Precision in Internal Parasite Egg Count in Ovine Faeces author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Journal

Article

Related links

Share


Agrociencia (Uruguay)

Print version ISSN 1510-0839On-line version ISSN 2301-1548

Abstract

OTERO, Alvaro  and  CASTRO, Marina. Variability of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Seasonal Forage Production in the Southwest of Uruguay. Agrociencia Uruguay [online]. 2019, vol.23, n.1, pp.65-75.  Epub June 01, 2019. ISSN 1510-0839.  https://doi.org/10.31285/agro.23.1.9.

Weather conditions determine seasonal forage production. Air temperature, solar radiation, and soil water availability are the main variables affecting alfalfa growth. This study analyzed the relationship between alfalfa growth (Medicago sativa L.) and some climatic variables along 15 years (1997 to 2011) of production and climate data, collected in the southwest of Uruguay. The results highlighted that alfalfa growth rate (GR) presented significant differences among seasons and varied with pasture age. The alfalfa growth rate increased in autumn when the accumulated radiation was less than or equal to 1095 MJ m-2 period-1 and the difference between atmospheric demand and rainfall (cWB) was close to 0 mm. In winter, the GR increased with minimum temperatures up to 8.4 °C and daily average radiation higher than 11 MJ m-2 day-1. In spring the GR was higher during the years with daily radiation higher than 16 MJ m-2 day-1. Maximum air temperatures above 27.5 °C affected negatively summer GR. The highest GR (62.5 kg ha-1 day-1) was achieved in summer when the ETa:ETm ratio was close to one. This result suggests the implementation of field techniques that increase water-use efficiency, as well as summer irrigation as a management practice to achieve alfalfa forage potential.

Keywords : water deficit; growth rate.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )