The Alfalfa Management Guide is designed especially for busy growers, with to-the-point recommendations, useful images of diseased plants and pests, and quick-reference tables and charts. Revised in 2011, this edition of Alfalfa Management Guide covers the latest strategies for alfalfa establishment, production, and harvest-soil testing, fertilizing, integrated pest management, rotation, and more.
This book is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on whole genome sequencing of the diploid and tetraploid alfalfa genomes including sequence assembly, gene annotation, and comparative genomics with the model legume genome, functional genomics, and genomics of important agronomic characters. Other chapters describe the genetic diversity and germplasm collections of alfalfa, as well as development of genetic markers and genome-wide association and genomic selection for economical important traits, genome editing, genomics, and breeding targets to address current and future needs. Altogether, the book contains about 300 pages over 16 chapters authored by globally reputed experts on the relevant field in this crop. This book is useful to the students, teachers, and scientists in the academia and relevant private companies interested in genetics, breeding, pathology, physiology, molecular genetics and breeding, biotechnology, and structural and functional genomics. The work is also useful to seed and forage industries.
"Although there have been instances in which low-level presence of regulated materials has resulted in market disruptions (e.g., Starlink corn, LL601 and LL604 rice), there is no evidence of significant market disruption associated with the commercialization of deregulated biotech traits in the United States. Concurrent with increased U.S. farmer adoption of biotech traits in corn, soybean, and cotton there have been increases in U.S. grain/fiber export (USDA-FAS 2007) and organic production (USDA-NASS 2007a, b, c). Although only 3 to 5% of the U.S. alfalfa hay production is sold to GE-sensitive markets (Putnam 2006), production for these markets has significant economic importance in specific regions of the United States. Approximately 33% of U.S. alfalfa seed production is exported, primarily to GE-sensitive markets. A thorough understanding of gene flow in alfalfa is critical to establishing stewardship programs that enable coexistence between alfalfa growers producing GE alfalfa hay or seed and growers producing these products for GE-sensitive markets. Understanding the relative importance of gene flow between and within feral plants, hay, and seed production fields helps to identify key biological, agricultural, and environmental barriers to gene flow and to formulate logical mitigation strategies for managing the AP of GE traits in non-GE alfalfa seed and hay. Synchrony in flowering, presence of pollinators, isolation distance, and relative abundance of pollen between pollen source and pollen recipient plants are typical biological barriers, most of which are amenable to management in hay and/or seed production systems. In general, it seems that NAFA Best Management Practices in hay and certified alfalfa seed production, coupled with the pollinator-specific isolation guidelines outlined in the NAFA Best Management Practices document, are adequate for managing AP to tolerance levels appropriate for most markets. These types of management practices are employed successfully by producers of certified seed in most crops, including alfalfa, to ensure genetic purity of seed stocks. Increased isolation distances in seed production--including production in non-GE seed production zones--use of border areas, crop rotation, use of certified seed, careful selection of the introduced pollinator, and routine elimination of neighboring feral alfalfa plants are tools that can be applied to decrease further the risk of gene flow in the production of seed for GE-sensitive markets."--Summary.
This comprehensive guide for western alfalfa growers brings together the most current information and recommendations in nearly all areas of alfalfa management, including stand establishment, fertilization, irrigation, pest management, and harvesting
Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.
