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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #94544
Title: ALFALFA FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION: VARIETY AND HARVEST SCHEDULE EVALUATION

Author
item SHEAFFER, CRAIG - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item MARTIN, NEAL - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Lamb, Joann
item CUOMO, GREG - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The strategy for use of alfalfa as a biofuel is to separate whole plant hay into leaf and stem fractions with stems being gasified and leaves processed into leaf meal for livestock feeding. A less frequent, two-cut system may be most effective for stem and leaf co-product production and allow harvest flexibility. We evaluated the impact of two-, three-, and four-cut harvest regimes on leaf and stem yield and composition of alfalfa germplasms and varieties at three locations for two years. Two harvests per season at late flower resulted in greater stem yields than three harvests per season at early flower. Leaf yields were consistently lower for the late flower harvest than for the early flower harvest. Leaf and stem quality decreased with increasing maturity at harvest. Harvest regime also affected macro- and micro-mineral concentration of stems with concentrations declining as maturity at harvest decreased. There were few harvest regime by entry interactions. Entries seldom differed in leaf or stem yield, but WL 252 HQ MP 2000, and ABI 9239 often had greater leaf CP concentration, greater stem CP, lower stem ADF, and greater leaf concentration than other entries. Entries did not differ in stem mineral concentration. An economic analysis was conducted that valued stems as a fuel and the leaf co-product as a livestock feed. Although the two-harvest regime was less costly than a three-harvest regime, greater leaf yield and quality for the three-harvest regime resulted in greater net return per acre.