Performance of Annual Medic Species (Medicago spp.) in Southeastern Wyoming

Abstract

Annual medic (Medicago spp.) pastures that produce high levels of good quality forage are well suited to grazing and are used extensively throughout dryland farming regions of the world. In these regions, they are normally an integral component of cropping rotations because they allow for reductions in weed and disease problems in addition to increasing soil N levels for subsequent crops. The objective of this research was to investigate the performance of 17 annual medic cultivars and experimental lines for their potential use as self‐regenerating annual pastures in the dryland cropping region of southeastern Wyoming. Dry matter and seed production capabilities were recorded over three seasons, 1996 to 1998. Growth phase development following different emergence times was evaluated in two seasons, and the forage quality was assessed for medic cultivars and lines grown in the 1997 season. Results revealed that the M. rigidula (L.) All. line, SA10343, consistently produced the greatest level of dry matter, with more than double the amount of forage than nearly all other cultivars. Dry matter production was related to the period of growth and development where higher yielding cultivars showed extended periods of vegetative growth. In general, the southeastern Wyoming climate substantially reduced the growth and development periods of medic cultivars bred in southern Australia. Given the overall performance of all cultivars, it was determined that the M. rigidula species had the greatest potential for further development in this environment.

Annual Medic Forage and Seed Evaluations for the Semiarid Regions of the Great Plains

“…Medic nutritive values (CP, ADF, and NDF) were considered very high quality, and excellent for all classes of livestock (1). Crude protein values ranged from 17 to 22%, ADF ranged from 23 to 33%, and NDF values ranged from 28 to 41% (Table 2), which are similar to other medics(11,16) and alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) (7) nutritive values reported. Nutritive value did not differ between button, rigid, and Tifton burr medic species.…”

“…Annual medics are cool‐season forage legumes that have potential in the southern Great Plains of the United States since they are typically better adapted to harsh environmental conditions (16) and high soil pH compared to other cool‐season annual legumes. Annual medics can produce high quality forage (11,13,16) that is beneficial to livestock producers, as well as aiding in the restoration of soil fertility of arable soils(5,16). They have the potential to increase forage production and extend the grazing season, while reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer.…”

Review: Redesigning Canadian prairie cropping systems for profitability, sustainability, and resilience

“…Screening of self-regenerating legumes for local adaptation in central Manitoba , Wyoming (Walsh et al 2001), and Minnesota (De Haan et al 2002) has failed to identify a particular species or genotype that would satisfy all the requirements of a self-regenerating cover crop system, but has indicated that desirable characteristics were present in the screened germplasm and that these qualities could be further developed.…”

Preliminary results on agronomic performance of barrel medic (Medicago truncatula) in Serbia

“…The trial was established on April 23. All eight cultivars were sown at a density of about 250 viable seeds m -2 (Walsh et al 2001), a plot size of 1 m 2 , three replicates for forage production and one plot for seed production, a row spacing of 20 cm both within and between plots in order to reduce excessive growth of border rows of a plot. In fact, each cultivar was sown in seven rows, but only fi ve inside the plot were taken into account, while two border rows were discarded.…”