Lucera

Introduction

• Scientific name : Medicago sativa
• Common name : Bastard medic, sand lucerne.
• An herbaceous perennial with deeply penetrating taproot.
• One of the first forage crops to be domesticated.
• Used for both grazing and conservation as hay, silage, meal and forage dehydration.
• Seeds can also be used for human consumption as sprouts.

Soil and moisture

• Demands deep, well-drained soils with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH.
• Will grow in sands to moderately heavy clays, provided drainage is satisfactory as it is intolerant of even short periods of water logging.
• Is relatively drought tolerant and will adjust plant density to cope with the availability of water supply.

Temperature and light

• Optimum temperature for dry matter production appears range from 15-25⁰C and 10-20⁰C during the night.
• Needs high light intensity for maximum growth but its erect growth habit allows it to compete well for light when sown in mixtures.

Fertilizer

• Needs medium to high fertility soils with neutral to moderately alkaline pH for optimum production.
• 3:25:10 mg/kg NPK.
• Aluminum toxicity can occur on soils with pH of lower than 5.5.

Nutritive value and palatability

• Proteins and calcium levels are high but metabolizable energy (ME) and phosphorous level are low.
• Fibrous tissues is low and hence highly digestible.

Toxicity

• Bloat is the major limitation to grazing lucerne.
• Enterotoxaemia can also be a problem with sheep and can be controlled by injections.

Yield

• Under irrigation, produce 25-27 t/ha dry matter in first year and 8-15 t/ha by the third year.
• Good irrigation stands can produce 20t/ha of hay per year.