Comportamiento productivo de cinco variedades de alfalfa.

Abstract

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most commonly used legume forage in the diet of dairy cattle in the United States and Mexico. The objective of this research was to evaluate the productive response of five alfalfa varieties with defined cutting intervals seasonally. The research was conducted from June 2010 to June 2011 in the Colegio de Postgraduados, Mexico. Commercial varieties evaluated were: San Miguelito, Jupiter, Atlixco, Via lacteal and Cuf 101, which were randomly distributed into 20 experimental plots of 12 x 9 m, according to a randomized complete block with four replications. The variables evaluated were: growth rate, intercepted radiation, leaf area index and plant height. Jupiter and Cuf 101 varieties with 56 and 37 kg DM ha-1 d-1 recorded the highest and lowest growth rate, respectively.