Lucerne (Medicago sativa) is leguminous fodder crop with high yield under optimum growing conditions. Mainly grown for hay making but made into silage during unfavourable conditions for hay making. Lucerne could be fed as wilted fodder under close supervision. Lucerne is not grazed directly due to risk of death through bloat. Most Lucerne is grown under irrigation and rain fed
in smallholder farms in Kenya.

lucerne farming in kenya
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An established lucerne pasture provides an alternative source of forage for animal production, especially outside the growing season of annual crops and pastures in Kenya. The deep roots of lucerne can dry the soil and thereby increase the capacity of soil to store water in times of excess, which reduces groundwater recharge. Optimising plant densities at establishment is critical to ensure high production over the life of the stand.

In brief, lucerne can:

  • provide a high quality feed for livestock and improve animal health
  • reduce groundwater recharge and help to alleviate the effects of salinity
  • even out seasonal livestock feed and produce fodder opportunistically out-of-season
  • improve soil fertility and structure
  • reduce weed burden and manage herbicide resistance for cropping.

Growing and feeding lucerne

Lucerne or Medicago sativa, commonly known as alfalfa, is a legume and widely grown throughout the world.

Like other legumes it does not grow when the soil temperature is below 8°C.

Lucerne grows off a tap root which stores nutrients to help the plant re-grow after cutting or grazing. Like other legumes there are nodules on its roots which contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria so the crop does not require additional applied nitrogen (N) to grow. There have been some reports of lucerne roots going down as far as 15 metres in search of water. This could result in damage to drains when growing this crop.

Lucerne is renowned for its slow establishment. This is due in part to it channelling energy into root development first, prior to leaf and stem production. The plant generally grows well for four to five years, but can last longer. Its persistency will be affected by damage to its tap root, soil compaction from machinery or any pest and disease challenges.

Lucerne exhibits auto-toxicity, which means its seeds will not grow in a field of established lucerne, making it impossible to ‘top-up’ thinning crops. This also means there is a requirement to leave a gap of five to six years between crops.

Lucerne farming practice by farmers in Kenya

The practice by many Kenyan farmers whenever they desire to increase the area under pasture is to cultivate more forage rich in carbohydrates such as Napier grass, Rhodes grass, fodder maize, fodder sorghum and the like. It most often happens out of ignorance on the feeding and nutrient requirements of farm animals.

More quantities of the same type of feed are then presented to animals. The end result is more areas under forage but with insignificant or no increase in the amount of milk produced, so that the farmer is left wondering whether the output was worth the investment.

Lucerne is not the only legume that can be incorporated in the pasture profile. There are many legume species commonly used as pasture or fodder but when compared, lucerne comes out with gleaming attributes. It has very high protein content (15 – 25%), highly digestible (60 – 75%) and has high levels of energy (ME 8 – 11MJ/kg DM). It comprises about 50% of all protein supplements in livestock feeds. It can be pelleted and stored in bags.

Propagation

Lucerne can be propagated from seeds or stem cuttings. It is best planted during the rainy season when there is enough moisture in the soil. The crop requires regular weeding, fertilization, and irrigation to achieve high yields.

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Field selection

Fields selected for growing lucerne should meet the following requirements:

  • possibility of deep rooting; no disturbance in the subsoil
  • well drained
  • pH-KCl on sandy soils: minimum 5,5
  • pH-KCl on clay soils: minimum 6,0
  • no lucerne grown on the field in the last 4 years
  • low weed pressure

Soil quality is the cornerstone of a successful lucerne production. Especially on organic, wet soils it can be hard to grow lucerne. Therefore, fields selection should be done carefully before planting.

Lucerne performs better after cereal or maize crops than after grasses. The reason for that is the high nitrogen release from an old grass sward inhibits Rhizobial activity. After sugar beets, potatoes and oil-seed rape, attention should be paid to an increased risk of stem rot disease (Sclerotonia) or nematodes.

Lucerne Establishment

One impediment that has faced farmers is their lack of knowledge or skills on how to establish the crop. Many farmers simply purchase lucerne seeds from agrovets and sow them directly into improperly prepared seedbeds. Some of those who have attempted to inoculate the seeds have done it wrongly. The outcome has been very poor germination thus discouraging the farmers from establishing the crop.

The correct way to establish lucerne is by first properly inoculating the seeds. Appropriate inoculants are available in agrovets. For a good sticker make a solution of sugar or molasses in molasses to water ratio of 1:4. Thoroughly mix the sticker with lucerne seeds ensuring that all the seeds are covered by a thin layer of the sticker.  Then pour the inoculant on the mixture and mix thoroughly.

Do not expose the inoculant to sunshine because it can kill the bacterium. Coat the resulting mixture with lime. This activity should be carried out shortly before sowing.

Lucerne Conservation

To the farmer, the most important quality of lucerne is its ability to be conserved. Other legumes have very poor keeping qualities. Lucerne can be conserved as hay and fed to animals at a later date. This is important during dry periods when pastures are scarce, but even more important is that it allows the farmer to organize a comprehensive feeding plan for the herd.

The assurance that adequate quantities will be available throughout the year makes it possible to formulate suitable rations and project the potential amount of milk that can be produced in the year.

Lucerne Irrigation Requirements

Whether lucerne intended for seed production should be irrigated is determined by soil texture and depth, rainfall, evaporation, temperature, length of growing period and cultivation practices. The highest production is obtained when irrigation practices prevent stress and encourage slow but sustained growth throughout the growing period without excessive stimulation of vegetative growth.

There must be sufficient water to prevent stress while the flowers are being pollinated and the seed is ripening.

The seed producer must know the water-holding capacity of his soil and its fertility potential.

Heavy soil with a good water-holding capacity will give a good seed yield with a single irrigation just before flowering, while lighter soil will need a second irrigation during flowering.

The flowering stage is critical and it is here that moisture can determine the harvest.

Factors such as pollination, abortion of flowers and seed weight are directly linked to correct irrigation management.

Lucerne plants draw their water from a soil depth of 1.2 m, but the best results in seed production are obtained when water absorption up to 0.5 m is well controlled.

Overhead irrigation can be used successfully in seed production, especially on sandy soil where specific volumes of water must be given.

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Seed producers must irrigate lucerne till before flowering, and again after pollination is complete. If used during flowering time, overhead irrigation can so reduce pollination that losses of up to 15% may result.

After seed has set there is need to guard against too high a moisture content in the air, which may result in seed damage. Once seed is nearly ripe, irrigation should be completely stopped.

Because there may be more than one cycle of flowering and seed formation, it is best to use soil that can provide sufficient water for an entire growing season.

Planting method

Everywhere in the world lucerne planted for seed is sown in rows, as this gives the highest seed production. The low seed production in dense stands can be partially attributed to low production of nectar, lack of attraction for pollinators and increased abortion of flowers.

Other advantages for row sowing are:

  • Plants grow more erect and are therefore more accessible to pollinators, there is more light, and soil and air temperatures are higher early in the season.
  • Flowering time is about 10 days earlier.
  • There is less lodging of plants and the lower humidity reduces the incidence of leaf diseases and the amount of waterdamaged seed compared to broadcast stands.
  • There is less loss of flowers and seeds.
  • It facilitates spraying against insects and weeds.
  • There is greater flexibility in the management of irrigation.
  • Less seed is needed to sow the same area.

The following spacing is recommended for single rows:

  • Sandy soil 20-150 cm
  • Loamy soil 75-100 cm
  • Heavy loam to clay 60-90 cm

It is recommended that the wider spacings should rather be used.

Sowing density of lucerne per acre

Most producers use 1-1.5 kg seed per ha with the aim of getting 3-7 plants per 300 mm in a row. A sowing density of 300 g/ha has, however, been used with great success.

Soil fertility

Well-drained soil with few soluble salts and the potential for roots to grow to 1.5 m or more, is ideal for production of lucerne seed under irrigation.

Deep clay soil, clayey loam or sandy clay soil with a high water retention capacity is preferable to sandy soil.

Soil with hard stony layers or shallow clay layers near the surface should be avoided.

Uniform soil texture will reduce the differences in development between plants.

Problems with weeds and the cost of combating them can be reduced by well-planned rotation systems and cultivation.

Land infested with perennial grass weeds such as Bermuda grass/kweek (Cynodon dactylon), Johnson grass (Sorghum sp.), etc., should be avoided, or else the weeds brought under control before sowing time.

Isolation

The land must be surrounded by an isolation area which:

  • If it is intended to produce basic seed, must be at least 200 m wide where the area intended for production is 2 ha or less, and at least 100 m wide where the area intended is more than 2 ha, and
  • If it is intended to produce certified seed, must be at least 100 m wide where the area intended for production is 2 ha or less, and at least 50 m wide where the intended area is more than 2 ha

Such an isolation area must be free of any plants of any lucerne cultivar or any species of Medicago which flowers at the same time as the plants on the piece of land concerned, unless:

  • In the case of planned production of basic seed, these plants have been established from breeders seed of the same cultivar, and
  • In the case of planned production of certified seed, these plants have been established from basic seed of the same cultivar.
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Weed control

Weeds reduce the stand and the yield, complicate harvesting, increase cost of cleaning and may contaminate successive crops.

It is simpler to control weeds when lucerne is still at the seedling stage.

The presence of weeds may result in downgrading and consequent financial loss. The most important weeds to note are dodder (Cuscuta), tongblaar (Plantago), wild oats (Avena), ryegrass (Lolium), hondebos (Chenopodium), misbredie (Amaranthus), kiesieblaar (Malva), predikantsluis (Bromus) and stinkblaar (Datura).

Pollination

Good pollination comes before a good harvest.

Honey bees are the only insects in Kenya which can successfully pollinate the lucerne flower with its trigger mechanism.

Only about 2% of pollination is the accidental result of other insects.

The timing of placement of the hives in the lands is very important because early placement may result in the bees searching for other sources of food. Too late, and many flowers will wither before they can be visited.

After the lucerne is cut in the spring, the regrowth will begin flowering within 30-40 days, depending on cultivar.

Harvesting

Depending on rainfall and climatic conditions, the first cut should be made when the crop is around 40mm tall, has several stems and appears bushy. Cut when about 10% of the crop is flowering because if done earlier it can reduce the lifespan of the stand. Thereafter the crop can be harvested every 4 -5 weeks under irrigation or 3 months under rainfall. This can go on for 5 years when the crop should be replaced.

Cut the crop at the base 50mm above the ground and allow 2 to 3 days in the field for the leaves to wilt before raking and baling. The wilted crop is ready for baling if the skin around the stem can be easily removed. Do not let the leaves to overdry because of the risk of severe losses. Start baling very early in the morning when dew helps in reducing losses. Collect and remove the hay from the field as soon as possible and store in a barn protected from rainfall and sunshine.

Under good management yields are more than 8 tons per acre. Given that on average a cow is fed about 15kg per day on top of the grasses to satisfy its nutritional requirements, an acre is enough to feed 2 cows for one year. This is an immense saving given the high costs of commercial feeds.

Lucerne Market In Kenya

Lucerne is commonly used as a high-protein animal feed for dairy cows, goats, and sheep. The crop is also used for soil improvement, erosion control, and as a source of biomass for energy production. There is a growing demand for lucerne in Kenya due to its high nutritional value and increased focus on livestock farming.

Insect control

The most common insects found on lucerne are the lucerne caterpillar, the American bollworm, sand mite, earth flea and various types of aphids.

Pests and Diseases

Slugs, cutworms, and grasshoppers eat emerging seedlings. Mature shrubs are attacked by grasshoppers but recover quickly. Rabbits may also eat young plantings.

Root rot (caused by Phytophthora sp.) and damping-off (caused by Fusarium) can affect plantings in high-moisture climates or seasons.

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