Use of Plant Height for Determining the Nutritive Value, Yield and the Optimal Use Span of Lucerne

Determining the ·cutting date is important for high yield, good forage quality and longevity of lucerne (Medicago media Pers.) stands. Most recommendations for the optimal use date are based on the development ,stage. The results of research conducted over 9 years show that forage quality and the dry matter (DM) yield of luccrne, at the same, developmental stage, vary considerably, depending on weather conditions during the growth period. A better criterion is the plant height of lucerne. There was a highly significant correlation between plant height and the content of crude fibre, crude protein and DM. We recommend the use of plant height of lucerne as the criterion for determining the optimal use span. Accurate determination of the mean plant height on a lucerne stand requires at least 20 measurements of shoots: