Foliar-Applied Alfalfa Management
Annually U.S. alfalfa growers harvest more than 16 million acres of established alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures for hay, haylage, baleage, or green chop. The average yield nationwide is about 3.7 tons per acre and ranges from 2.0 in the South Dakota to over 8.0 tons per acre in Arizona.
alphajoule Biostiumlant ROI Calculator
[testimonial_view id=”4″]
A case of liquid alphajoule Biostimulant covers 20 acres of established alfalfa, alfalfa mixtures, or spring seeded alfalfa when using seed without alphajoule pre-applied. Each case contains two 2.5 gallon jugs of two different products. The jug with the purple cap is the alphajoule Biostimulant and the second jug with the green cap is PRYMER™ for Alfalfa, a bacteria and micronutrient activator. Both products are applied at the rate of 1 pint per acre in the same tank mix with 10 gallons of clean water.
Easy to Apply
Apply with a crop sprayer, by air, or pivot irrigation during spring green-up and following each harvest during the growing season. To maximize alphajoule’s effects, apply after the majority of crown buds have released and three weeks before the next harvest. This recommendation usually provides a 5-7 day application window.
alphajoule and PRYMER for Alfalfa are tank mix compatible with other products applied to alfalfa at the green-up growth stage. Includes micronutrients (except copper), insecticides, and herbicides (except Roundup®). Remember, bacteria are not compatible with chlorine bleach and most fungicides.
There aren’t field re-entry or days to harvest restrictions for foliar-applied alphajoule Biostimulant or PRYMER for Alfalfa. However, other products applied in the same tank mix may have restrictions. Read and follow all label instructions.
alphajoule bacteria are removed from the field at harvest and require re-introduction during the next crop’s green-up. The number of bacteria left post-harvest in the crown tissue is usually insufficient in CFU numbers to be economically effective for the next crop.
alphajoule bacteria removed from the field in the dry hay or haylage expire during the drying or silage fermentation process.
alphajoule bacteria are temperature sensitive and have a performance range in the alfalfa plant of 32°-108° F. This means producers will need to re-inoculate in the spring or after the summer crops in the southwestern U.S.
Carry Forward Benefits
The effects of mitigating internal plant stresses and improving nutrient use efficiencies can be cumulative and carried forward from crop-to-crop throughout the growing season. Root recharge and crown health benefit significantly from reducing stresses in the growing crop and have carry-forward benefits for future crops. We recommend applying alphajoule to first crop green-up and to each succeeding post–harvest green-up through each season. However, having the carry forward effect means all is not lost if an application to a crop is missed due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. Treating specific crops during the growing season with alphajoule Biostimulant can be a profitable strategy for some growers.
Grass/Legume Mixtures
Applying alphajoule to alfalfa/legume mixtures has a positive effect on both the alfalfa and grass components. Follow best management practices to maintain the desired balance of alfalfa and grass in the mixture.
Harvest Timing and Flexibility
Whether you time harvest by the calendar or plant maturity, the healthier the alfalfa plant is at pre-bud to mid-flower, the higher the yield and forage quality potential. Harvest flexibility is having the widest window possible to achieve the desired tonnage and quality for each crop when weather or other on-farm factors speed up or delay harvest activities.
Even with the best genetics, newest technologies and top management, each alfalfa crop you harvest is tempered by the day-to-day abiotic and biotic stresses placed on the crop along the way. These stresses start when the swather pulls out of the field after each cutting. The healthier the crop is going into each harvest, the faster and more uniform the green-up of the next crop will be.
An application of alphajoule Biostimulant at green-up mediates the effects of stress during the next three plus weeks of vegetative growth. Effects include additional stems per crown, auxiliary branching, leaf numbers and size, stem elongation, as well as root and crown health.
The normal harvest window is considered to be about a week in length and occurs when alfalfa plants are mid-bud to mid-flower. During this window, yield is rapidly increasing, and forage quality is peaking. Whether the actual harvest date is determined by yield, quality, weather, or other factors, a healthy alphajoule treated crop would offer the following benefits verses an untreated crop:
- Healthy alfalfa tends to mature more slowly
than alfalfa grown under stress. Severe stress
can prematurely move alfalfa into the reproductive stage. - Healthy alfalfa tends to have more and larger leaves, holds those leaves when harvest is delayed and through the harvest process.
- Healthy alfalfa varieties with improved fiber digestibility traits tend to have less lodging as maturity progresses.
- Healthy alfalfa tends to out yield stressed alfalfa, but forage quality is usually similar.
- Healthy alfalfa tends to more completely replenish root reserves between cuttings for more uniform crown bud release and green-up.
[testimonial_view id=”5″]
The effects of alphajoule Biostimulant aren’t linear from crop-to-crop through the growing season. Expect greater yield advantages in crops grown under increased levels of stress.
Management for Southwestern U.S. Growers
Alfalfa growers using non-dormant varieties can use alphajoule for its yield and harvest flexibility benefits. However, adjustments should be made to fit southwestern U.S. management practices.
It is not recommended for alphajoule to be applied via flood irrigation. The bacteria will become overly diluted in the large volume of irrigation water and effectiveness is lost. Apply with a ground sprayer or aerial application to emerging re-growth before flooding the field. It is not recommended that alphajoule be applied via drip irrigation systems. Lines may become plugged by native bacterial growth.
Apply to spring and fall cuts. Air temperatures above 108°F are detrimental to the alphajoule bacteria. Crops produced at the lower temperatures at beginning and the end of the season allow the bacteria to reduce in-plant stresses and increase yield. The cumulative benefits of plant health and vigor can carry forward into summer cuts or fall applications to the following spring harvests.