Effect of different date of sowing and plant geometry on growth and yield of lucerne

A field experiment was conducted during Rabi 2024-25 at the Experimental Farm, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, VNMKV, Parbhani (M.S.), to evaluate the effect of date of sowing and spacing on growth and yield of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). The experiment, laid out in a split-plot design with three replications, comprised four date of sowing (D1: 22nd Oct, D2: 12th Nov, D3: 27th Nov, D4: 10th Dec) as main plots and three spacings (S1: 22.5 cm, S2: 30 cm, S3: 45 cm) as sub-plots. The soil was medium black, clay loam, and neutral in reaction (pH 7.15). Early sowing (D1) significantly enhanced plant height (37.98 cm), number of leaves (13.09), leaf area (11.54 dm²), green fodder yield (9186 kg ha-1), dry fodder yield (1837 kg ha-1) and was at par with date of sowing D2. Among spacings, spacing S2 (30 cm) was superior with improved growth plant height: (37.72 cm), leaves: (12.90), yields green fodder: (8506 kg ha⁻¹); dry fodder: (1701 kg ha⁻¹) and was statistically at par with spacing S1.