RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF INOCULATION AND FERTILIZATION ON THE ALFALFA (MEDICAGO SATIVA L.), IN FIRST YEAR OF VEGETATION, UNDER CONDITIONS OF MOLDAVIAN FOREST STEPPE
M. Stavarache, I. Muntianu, V. Vîntu, C. Samuil, C.I. Popovici
Abstract
The research conducted during March-October 2010, on the Ezareni farm, under the climatic condition of Moldavian forest steppe, analyzed in the first year of alfalfa crop, the influence of seed inoculation with symbiotic bacteria Rhizobium meliloti Dangeard and fertilization, on the number of shoots • m-2, plant height dynamics, the leaves/stems ratio and dry matter production (DM). The results registered over three cuts showed that under local climatic conditions, the number of shoots • m-2 fluctuated between 704-989 shoots • m-2, plant height at the moment of harvesting was on average 45.6 cm at the fist cut, 68.5 cm at the second cut and 27.1 cm at the third cut. The leaves/stems ratio was 50.31/49.69 at the first cut, 44.23/55.77 at the second cut and 63.68/36.32 at the third cut. Total DM yields ranged from 5.04 to 7.75 Mg • ha-1. Data obtained showed that seed inoculation had a unsignificant influence on the studied indicators. Fertilization influenced positively the height of plants and dry matter production, negatively the leaves/stems ratio and did not have a significant influence on the number of shoots • m-2. First cut represented 37.6% of the total DM, the second cut was 48.4%, and the third cut 14.0%.
