Date of Award:

5-1962

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Department name when degree awarded

Agronomy

Committee Chair(s)

DeVere R. McAllister

Committee

DeVere R. McAllister

Committee

Keith R. Allred

Committee

Herman H. Wiebe

Abstract

In growing alfalfa it is important to obtain a good initial stand. However, it is difficult to predict the exact amount of seed necessary to insure a good stand.

There are about 220,000 seeds in 1 pound of alfalfa seed, or enough for four to five seeds per square foot at the rate of 1 pound of seed per acre. If every seed should grow, 2 to 3 pounds of seed per acre would be sufficient for a good stand.

However, there are many hazards. Some seeds are not viable, and others are planted too deep or too shallow to germinate. Many plants die in the seedling stage for one reason or another. The present planting equipment makes it possible to sow small quantities and distribute the seed uniformly; however, a good stand is directly dependent on the seedbed, and an ideal seedbed is seldom obtained. Therefore higher rates are recommended than would be necessary under ideal conditions.

Alfalfa is an important forage crop in the intermountain region of the United States. In Utah, alfalfa is often injured by severe winters, making the choice of a variety with a high degree of winter-hardiness important. Bacterial wilt, Corynebacterium insidiosum (McCull.) H. L. Jones, is closely associated with winter injury in alfalfa and hence disease resistance is of great value when selecting an alfalfa variety. Resistance to the alfalfa stem nematode, Ditylenchus dipsaci, is also a desired varietal characteristic.

The successful production of alfalfa is of prime importance to the farmer in Utah and many other states. This crop is an essential part of nearly all rotations and serious losses may result if it fails to produce satisfactory yields. For this reason the spread of bacterial wilt in Utah was of considerable concern.

The effect of bacterial wilt on alfalfa has been extensively studied in the United States. Usually disease development has been measured by determining the percentage stand or the degree of infection of the plants, and relatively little attention has been paid to forage yield. The purposes of the present study were (1) to obtain accurate information on the effect of the disease on alfalfa forage yield and root dry weight, (2) to evaluate the effect of nine rates of seeding on forage yield of nine alfalfa varieties, (3) to evaluate the extent to which these varieties resist bacterial wilt, and (4) to determine plant intensity.

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