Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

The importance of alfalfa and its growth processes during harvesting phases in the conditions of the right-bank Forest-Steppe

Nadiya Hetman, Borys Danyliuk, Vitalii Kovalenko
Download article
Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of harvesting dates and fertilization levels on the height of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) plants in the conditions of the Right-bank Forest-Steppe. The research was conducted at the experimental field of Vinnytsia National Agrarian University with variants of different sowing rates (6.0-8.0 million seeds/ha) and four levels of mineral nutrition. In the sowing year, the lowest height of alfalfa plants was observed at the sowing rate of 8.0 million seeds/ha (63.4-64.4 cm), which increased to 64.4-66.3 cm at the sowing rate of 6.0 million seeds/ha. Complex fertilizers contributed to an increase in plant height from 0.9-1.9 cm to 1.0-2.7 cm compared to the control. It was found that plants, under stress conditions due to high air temperature and insufficient moisture at the root system depth, could not effectively absorb mineral fertilizers from the soil, which led to a reduction in growth rates. In the second year of vegetation, considering the hydrothermal conditions of the summer period, an impact on the growth processes of alfalfa was observed. This affected the plant height during both the cuts and the harvesting phases. After three cuts at the budding stage, the average plant height reached 54.3-54.5 cm, regardless of the sowing rate and mineral nutrition level. The results followed a sinusoidal pattern: the tallest plants were at the first cut (73.7-73.8 cm), with the shortest height during the second cut (41.4-41.8 cm), and a further increase to 47.7-47.9 cm at the third cut. At the beginning of flowering, the tallest plants reached 85.7-86.0 cm, while at subsequent cuts, made 40-41 days later, a decrease in height was observed: 43.9-44.4 cm at the second cut and 54.3-55.2 cm at the third cut. The average plant height at the sowing rates was 61.4-61.8 cm. Thus, alfalfa formed three full cuts during the growing season, with an average height of 54.3-54.5 cm. The tallest plants reached 76.8-85.8 cm with the application of mineral fertilizers at the dose of N35P90K150+S23.5Ca30Mg20, while the average values were 55.7-62.7 cm at a sowing rate of 6.0 million seeds/ha. The results of the study can be used to optimize the agrotechnology of alfalfa cultivation in the conditions of the Forest-Steppe

Keywords

Medicago sativa, budding, beginning of flowering, sowing rate, fertilizers

Suggested citation
Hetman, N., Danyliuk, B., & Kovalenko, V. (2025). The importance of alfalfa and its growth processes during harvesting phases in the conditions of the right-bank Forest-Steppe. Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, 21(6),170-180. https://doi.org/10.31548/dopovidi/6.2025.170
References
  1. Álvarez-Vázquez, P., Encina-Domínguez, J.A., Ventura-Ríos, J., Flores-Naveda, A., Hernández-Pérez, A., & Maldonado-Peralta, R. (2020). Productive performance of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) at different age of resprout in the spring season. Agro Productividad, 13(12), 113-118. doi: 10.32854/agrop.v13i12.1898.
  2. Antoniv, S., Kolisnyk, S., & ZaprutaО. (2023). Alfalfa: History of the name origin, agroecological importance, basis for high-protein feed. Feeds and Feed Production, 96, 208-214. doi: 10.31073/kormovyrobnytsvo202396-19.
  3. Bélanger, G., Tremblay, G.F., Seguin, P., Lajeunesse, J., Bittman, S., & Hunt, D. (2020). Cutting management of alfalfa-based mixtures in contrasting agroclimatic regions. Agronomy Journal, 112(3), 1980-1992. doi: 10.1002/agj2.20142.
  4. Convention on Biological Diversity. (1992, June). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_030#Text.
  5. Daud, M., Qiao, H., Xu, S., Hui, X., Adil, M., & Lu, Y. (2025). Understanding abiotic stress in alfalfa: Physiological and molecular perspectives on salinity, drought, and heavy metal toxicity. Frontiers in Plant Science, Plant Abiotic Stress, 16, article number 1627599. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1627599.
  6. Feng, Y., et al. (2022). Yield and quality properties of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and their influencing factors in China. European Journal of Agronomy, 141, article number 126637. doi: 10.1016/j.eja.2022.126637.
  7. Greveniotis, V., Bouloumpasi, E., Skendi, A., Korkovelos, A.E., Kantas, D., Zotis, S., & Ipsilandis, C.G. (2024). Modeling stability of alfalfa yield and main quality traits. Agriculture, 14(4), article number 542. doi: 10.3390/agriculture14040542.
  8. Hetman, N., Karbivska, U., Tkachuk, O., Gamajunova, V., Kurhak, V., Senyk, I., Stotska, S., Kulyk, R., Hryhoriv, Ya., & Tytun, O. (2025). The role of Medicago sativa L. in the ecologization of agricultural production. Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology, 26(8), 342-349. doi: 10.12912/27197050/208367.
  9. Karbivska, U.M. (2020). Accumulation of root mass and its effect on the nutrient regime of dark-gray soil under cultivation of legume-cereal agrocenoses. Taurian Scientific Bulletin, 112, 190-196. doi: 10.32851/2226-0099.2020.112.27.
  10. Kvitko, M.H. (2017). Influence of weather conditions on the growth and development processes of alfalfa of different ecotypes on gray forest soils of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe. In Proceedings of the international scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Academician Vasyl Mykolaiovych Remeslo (pp. 3-7). Myronivka: The V. M. Remeslo Myronivka Institute of Wheat of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.
  11. Liu, Y., Wu, Q., Ge, G., Han, G., & Jia, Y. (2018). Influence of drought stress on alfalfa yields and nutritional composition. BMC Plant Biology, 18, article number 13. doi: 10.1186/s12870-017-1226-9.
  12. Medina, C.A., Hansen, J., Crawford, J., Viands, D., Sapkota, M., Xu, Z., Peel, M.D., & Yu, L.-X. (2025). Genome-wide association and genomic prediction of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) biomass yield under drought stress. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(2), article number 608. doi: 10.3390/ijms26020608.
  13. Petrychenko, V., Hetman, N., & Tsyganskyi, V. (2018). Lucerne as stabilizing factor for intensification of feed processing industry. Bulletin of Agrarian Science, 10, 19-26. doi: 10.31073/agrovisnyk201810-03.
  14. Petrychenko, V.F., & Kvitko, H.P. (2010). Alfalfa with new qualities for cultivated pastures. Kyiv: Ahrarna Nauka.
  15. Shen, Y., Jiang, H., Zhai, G., & Cai, Q. (2013). Effects of cutting height on shoot regrowth and forage yield of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in a short-term cultivation system. Grassland Science, 59(2), 73-79. doi: 10.1111/grs.12014.
  16. Song, Y., Lv, J., Ma, Z., & Dong, W. (2019). The mechanism of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) response to abiotic stress. Plant Growth Regulation, 89(3), 239-249. doi: 10.1007/s10725-019-00530-1.
  17. Sun, Y., Wang, X., Ma, C., & Zhang, Q. (2022). Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on agronomic characters, photosynthetic performance and anatomical structure of alfalfa in northern Xinjiang, China. Agronomy, 12(7), article number 1613. doi: 10.3390/agronomy12071613.
  18. Tyshchenko, O.D., & Tyshchenko, A.V. (2014). Directions of alfalfa breeding for irrigation conditions. Irrigated Agriculture, 62, 93-95.
  19. Varol, I.S., Ünlükara, A., & Kaplan, M. (2024). Water productivity, yield response factors, yield and quality of alfalfa cultivars in semi-arid climate conditions. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 224, article number 105799. doi: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2024.105826.
  20. Wan, W., Li, Y., & Li, H. (2022). Yield and quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in response to fertilizer application in China: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, article number 1051725. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1051725.
  21. Wang, H., Coulman, B., Bai, Y., Tar’an, B., & Biligetu, B. (2023). Genetic diversity and local adaptation of alfalfa populations (Medicago sativa L.) under long‑term grazing. Scientific Reports, 13, article number 1632. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-28521-3.
  22. Wang, Y., Li, M., Guo, J., & Yan, H. (2024). Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) nitrogen utilization, yield and quality respond to nitrogen application level with center pivot fertigation system. Agronomy, 14(1), article number 48. doi: 10.3390/agronomy14010048.
  23. Zhang, Y., & Wang, L. (2025). Advances in basic biology of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): A comprehensive overview. Horticulture Research, 12(7), article number uhaf081. doi: 10.1093/hr/uhaf081.
  24. Zhou, Z., Li, J., Gao, Y., Wang, X., Wang, R., Huang, H., Zhang, Y., Zhao, L., & Wang, P. (2024). Research on drought stress in Medicago sativa L. from 1998 to 2023: A bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, article number 1406256. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1406256.