2 DLF Alfalfa Q&A DLF Alfalfa is designed to give farmers an easy, reliable and more profitable farming • The extremely drought tolerant crop delivers more protein than soybean and maize • It does not need to be fertilized with nitrogen and it’s an excellent mixture partner Do you still have questions regarding DLF Alfalfa? Read on and get the answers to the most frequently asked questions about alfalfa: 4. What is the consequence of fall dormancy on the number of cuts per year? The FD number indicate the probable number of cuts per year. Therefore 3 cuts for FD3, 8 cuts for FD8 etc. 5. Why is lodging resistance important? Alfalfa is usually grown for cutting rather than grazing. Cutting can sometimes be delayed past the optimal harvest date due to the weather, breakdown or other work. Lodging resistance is very important to avoid loss of yield and quality. 1. What are multi-leaf varieties, and what are the benefits? Multi-leaf means more than three leaflets. Most varieties of alfalfa are trifoliate (three leaflets). The multi-leaf trait can contribute to a higher forage quality, but not always. There are trifoliate varieties with equal or higher forage quality than multi-leaf varieties. 2. What are the differences between alfalfa and clover? Alfalfa is more persistent than red clover. It requires fewer cuts for hay or silage than white clover. Alfalfa is far more drought tolerant and can easily be grown as a pure crop. 3. What is fall dormancy? Fall dormancy indicates when the growth of a variety begins to decline. The lower the number the earlier in the autumn growth stops. FD1 varieties stop growing very early in the autumn whereas FD10+ varieties will hardly stop growing, making them more vulnerable to low temperatures.
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