Yellow alfalfa, sickle-shaped (Medicado falcata L.). Alfalfa and yellow crescent are valuable plants for beekeepers Hybrid variety Bagheera
ALFALFA SCRATES- Medicago falcata L
Legume family - Fabaceae Undl. (Leguminosae Juss.)
Crescent alfalfa is a perennial herbaceous plant with a taproot system, but under certain conditions it can form rhizomes of different lengths or root suckers. Stems are straight or ascending, 30-80 cm high, branching at the base, heavily leafy.
The leaves are trifoliate, with obovate leaflets up to 2 cm long and up to 1 cm wide, with petioles, to the base of which lanceolate, serrated (less often entire) stipules are attached. Flowers are collected in groups of 20-30 in short oval (sometimes almost capitate) racemes emerging from the axils of the middle and upper leaves of the shoot.
Flowers with a tubular-funnel-shaped calyx, 5 teeth of which are equal in length to the tube; corolla is typically moth-type, yellow, up to 10 cm long, 10 stamens, 9 of which are fused with filaments; one pistil with the upper ovary. The beans are sickle-shaped, glabrous. or slightly pubescent. The seeds are ovoid or bean-shaped, about 2 mm long and 15 mm wide, yellow or brown.
Blooms in summer.
Crescent alfalfa is widespread in the European part of Russia (except for the Far North), Ukraine, Belarus, the southern regions of Siberia and the Far East, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Crescent alfalfa grows in a wide variety of meadows, fields, forest edges, and along roadsides. Introduced into cultivation, there are varieties.
Saponins, coumarin compounds, coumestrol, and 130-146.26 mg% ascorbic acid were found in the grass. Alkaloids were found in flowers. The herb can be used to obtain a multivitamin concentrate containing ascorbic acid, carotene and vitamin K.
Tibetan medicine uses the herb for gastrointestinal diseases, pneumonia, abscesses, hemoptysis, kidney disease, increased heart rate (tachycardia), and in anti-inflammatory preparations. An infusion or decoction of the roots is used as a sedative. In Belarus, a water decoction of the whole plant is drunk for nervous disorders. The plant is also used as an anticarcinogenic agent.
The leaves are used as a seasoning for dishes. Honey plant.
Methods of preparation and use:
1. 3 tablespoons of chopped herbs per 0.5 liters of boiling water, leave for 2 hours, strain. Take 1/3-1/2 cup 3 times a day for the above diseases.
2. 2 tablespoons of chopped herbs and roots per 0.5 liters of water, boil over low heat for 5 minutes, leave for 1 hour, strain. Take 0.5 cups 3 times a day for nervous disorders.
3. 1 tablespoon of crushed roots per 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 2-3 hours, strain. Take 1/3-1/2 cup 3-4 times a day as a sedative.
The richness of the flora of our country never ceases to amaze everyone who is interested in it. A plant such as yellow alfalfa has a unique set of properties widely used in agronomy; it will be useful in any household. What you need to know about alfalfa? More about this in the material below.
Characteristics of alfalfa
Alfalfa is a perennial. There are several types of this plant, the most popular of which are blue alfalfa and yellow crescent alfalfa.
The root system of this plant is a distinctive feature of alfalfa. It is quite powerful and has the appearance of a rod that extends 2-3 meters into the soil. The leaves consist of three parts, and alfalfa blooms in oval-shaped inflorescences with a blue or yellow corolla.
Yellow alfalfa (see photo in the article) blooms from mid-June to the end of August in almost any meadow area. The exception is areas with groundwater - it cannot withstand their proximity.
Alfalfa is easiest to find in meadows, steppe areas, near roads and on the edges of forests. It does not grow near swamps and wetlands.
Alfalfa is propagated by seeds. They can be purchased ready for sowing, or they can be obtained from young plants.
Special properties
What makes yellow alfalfa different and why is it valuable to households? It's all about a number of qualities that make growing it so popular:
- Nutritional value. Yellow alfalfa is very rich in proteins, as well as vitamins E, PP, C. Thanks to this, it is one of the best
- Honey production. Alfalfa is successfully used by beekeepers to produce honey.
- Green manure properties. Due to the structure of the root system, alfalfa is used to improve soil structure and inhibit the growth of weeds.
- Multifunctionality. The feed value of alfalfa also lies in the fact that every element of the plant is suitable for use in feed and long-term storage. It is used to make hay, briquettes and animal feed.
- Resistant to temperature changes. Yellow alfalfa is a crop that can withstand high temperatures with sufficient watering and is also resistant to cold weather. Therefore, its cultivation gives good yields.
That is why a plant such as alfalfa is popular and respected among farmers and households.
Growing alfalfa
This perennial plant is not too demanding, but grows best on black soil and loam. Soils that are excessively saturated with moisture are least suitable for growing alfalfa. It grows poorly in waterlogged and overly acidic soils.
It is often sown to prepare the land for the subsequent cultivation of barley or wheat - yellow alfalfa is optimal for this.
The first harvest of the plant is used to obtain seeds. You can also buy alfalfa seeds ready-made.
For good growth, the plant requires good soil moisture and light.
Resistance to adverse conditions
When well hydrated, alfalfa can withstand fairly high temperatures. It is also drought resistant due to its deep root system.
This plant tolerates cold well. Seeds are able to germinate at a temperature of 1-2 degrees, and emerging seedlings can withstand sudden frosts up to 5 degrees below zero.
But if alfalfa is mowed too often or done very late, and if the crops of this plant are subjected to excessive grazing, then the resistance of alfalfa to cold is significantly reduced.
Crops can withstand minor floods, but groundwater flooding is detrimental to them. Therefore, before sowing yellow alfalfa, you need to make sure that there is no groundwater or underground water nearby.
What is it used for?
First of all, alfalfa is valuable for livestock farms. In terms of its nutritional value, the presence of microelements and vitamins, alfalfa is a leader among forage crops. It is most often used as cattle feed. Yellow alfalfa is also very suitable for rabbits.
Beekeepers note the high honey production of this plant. Moreover, not only bees, but also bumblebees choose alfalfa to collect pollen and nectar.
Alfalfa is also widely used in agronomy. And not only as a highly nutritious animal feed, but also for soil preparation.
Thanks to the sowing of alfalfa with its special root system, the soil becomes more homogeneous and saturated with minerals, and weeds and their seeds die or grow in much smaller quantities.
The combination of unique properties and undemanding cultivation make alfalfa an extremely valuable crop for farms and households, and its high nutritional value and content of proteins, amino acids and vitamins make it the most popular animal feed.
Alfalfa crescent, or Yellow alfalfa(lat. Medicago falcata listen)) is a perennial herbaceous plant; species of the genus Lucerne ( Medicago) family Legumes ( Fabaceae).
Botanical description
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Distribution and habitatGeneral range: countries of Western and Eastern Europe, Central and Central Asia, the Caucasus (Georgia, Azerbaijan), Mongolia, China, the Korean Peninsula, the Himalayas, Northern. America (Yukon). Frost-resistant, cold-resistant, withstands short-term frosts (down to -5°C) in spring and autumn, early ripening, moisture-loving and at the same time resistant to summer droughts. Grows successfully on fertile, loose, permeable, slightly acidic and neutral soils of varying mechanical composition. SynonymyApplicationEconomic importanceUsed for grassing meadows and pastures, sloping lands subject to water and wind erosion. It is characterized by very high winter and drought resistance, resistance to major diseases and pests. Significantly improves the structure and fertility of the soil and is a valuable precursor to many crops. It is used in pure sowing or in a mixture with perennial cereal grasses for green feeding, hay, silage, grass meal. The yield of green mass is 75-150 c/ha, hay - 25-75 c/ha, seed yield - 0.5-3.0, rarely up to 5.0 c/ha. It is used in breeding programs as one of the components when crossing with cultivated species - alfalfa and alfalfa. In folk medicineIt is used as a sedative for nervous disorders, migraines, pneumonia, kidney and gastrointestinal diseases. In Tibetan medicine, the herb is recommended as an anti-inflammatory for abscesses, increased heart rate and kidney disease. Usually prescribed in the form of infusions and decoctions. It is used in preparations that improve vision, for general health, as well as in preparations for the prevention of cancer. Security statusIn RussiaWrite a review about the article "Calcium alfalfa"Notes
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Excerpt characterizing Alfalfa crescent- Do you live with your mother?“I live with Countess Rostova,” said Boris, adding again: “Your Excellency.” “This is the Ilya Rostov who married Nathalie Shinshina,” said Anna Mikhailovna. “I know, I know,” said Prince Vasily in his monotonous voice. – Je n"ai jamais pu concevoir, comment Nathalieie s"est decidee a epouser cet ours mal – leche l Un personnage completement stupide et ridicule.Et joueur a ce qu"on dit. [I could never understand how Natalie decided to come out marry this dirty bear. A completely stupid and funny person, and a player, they say.] “Mais tres brave homme, mon prince,” Anna Mikhailovna remarked, smiling touchingly, as if she knew that Count Rostov deserved such an opinion, but asked to have pity on the poor old man. – What do the doctors say? - asked the princess, after a short silence and again expressing great sadness on her tear-stained face. “There is little hope,” said the prince. “And I really wanted to thank my uncle again for all his good deeds to both me and Bora.” C"est son filleuil, [This is his godson," she added in such a tone, as if this news should have greatly pleased Prince Vasily. Prince Vasily thought and winced. Anna Mikhailovna realized that he was afraid to find in her a rival in the will of Count Bezukhy. She hastened to reassure him. “If it weren’t for my true love and devotion to my uncle,” she said, pronouncing this word with particular confidence and carelessness: “I know his character, noble, direct, but he has only the princesses with him... They are still young...” She bowed her head and she added in a whisper: “Did he fulfill his last duty, prince?” How precious are these last minutes! After all, it can’t be worse; it needs to be cooked if it is that bad. We women, Prince,” she smiled tenderly, “always know how to say these things.” It is necessary to see him. No matter how hard it was for me, I was already used to suffering. The prince apparently understood, and understood, as he did at the evening at Annette Scherer’s, that it was difficult to get rid of Anna Mikhailovna. “Wouldn’t this meeting be difficult for him, here Anna Mikhailovna,” he said. - Let's wait until evening, the doctors promised a crisis. “But you can’t wait, Prince, at these moments.” Pensez, il va du salut de son ame... Ah! c"est terrible, les devoirs d"un chretien... [Think, it’s about saving his soul! Oh! this is terrible, the duty of a Christian...] A door opened from the inner rooms, and one of the count's princesses, the count's nieces, entered, with a gloomy and cold face and a strikingly disproportionate long waist to her legs. Prince Vasily turned to her. - Well, what is he? - All the same. And as you wish, this noise... - said the princess, looking around Anna Mikhailovna as if she were a stranger. “Ah, chere, je ne vous reconnaissais pas, [Ah, dear, I didn’t recognize you,” Anna Mikhailovna said with a happy smile, walking up to the count’s niece with a light amble. “Je viens d"arriver et je suis a vous pour vous aider a soigner mon oncle. J'imagine, combien vous avez souffert, [I came to help you follow your uncle. I can imagine how you suffered," she added, with participation rolling my eyes. The princess did not answer anything, did not even smile, and immediately left. Anna Mikhailovna took off her gloves and, in the position she had won, sat down on a chair, inviting Prince Vasily to sit next to her. - Boris! “- she said to her son and smiled, “I’ll go to the count, to my uncle, and you go to Pierre, mon ami, in the meantime, and don’t forget to give him the invitation from the Rostovs.” They call him to dinner. I think he won't go? – she turned to the prince. “On the contrary,” said the prince, apparently out of sorts. – Je serais tres content si vous me debarrassez de ce jeune homme... [I would be very glad if you saved me from this young man...] Sits here. The Count never asked about him. He shrugged. The waiter led the young man down and up another staircase to Pyotr Kirillovich. Pierre never had time to choose a career for himself in St. Petersburg and, indeed, was exiled to Moscow for rioting. The story told by Count Rostov was true. Pierre participated in tying up the policeman with the bear. He arrived a few days ago and stayed, as always, at his father's house. Although he assumed that his story was already known in Moscow, and that the ladies surrounding his father, who were always unkind to him, would take advantage of this opportunity to irritate the count, he still went after his father’s half on the day of his arrival. Entering the drawing room, the usual abode of the princesses, he greeted the ladies who were sitting at the embroidery frame and behind a book, which one of them was reading aloud. There were three of them. The eldest, clean, long-waisted, stern girl, the same one who came out to Anna Mikhailovna, was reading; the younger ones, both ruddy and pretty, differing from each other only in that one had a mole above her lip, which made her very beautiful, were sewing in a hoop. Pierre was greeted as if he were dead or plagued. The eldest princess interrupted her reading and silently looked at him with frightened eyes; the youngest, without a mole, assumed exactly the same expression; the smallest one, with a mole, of a cheerful and giggling character, bent over the embroidery frame to hide a smile, probably caused by the upcoming scene, the funnyness of which she foresaw. She pulled the hair down and bent down, as if she was sorting out the patterns and could hardly restrain herself from laughing. | ||||||||||
There are about 100 species of alfalfa, whose natural habitats are in southern Europe, the temperate zone of Asia, and North Africa. They grow in meadows, forest edges, grassy slopes, and steppes. Alfalfa beans are very characteristic: they are often curled into a spiral, less often crescent-shaped.
Apparently, it occurs more often than others sickle alfalfa. It grows in meadows, wastelands and lawns. This is a fairly large plant with bright yellow flowers. Her bobs are usually only slightly curved. And here alfalfa hop- a common plant, but inconspicuous. Its flowers are small, less than 2 mm long, collected in a dense capitate inflorescence, the stem is spread out on the ground. Therefore, this small plant is usually not paid attention to. Her beans are curled into a tight spiral. This species grows in cleared meadows, on lawns, along paths, and along the banks of reservoirs.
Alfalfa distinguished by purple flowers. This is a valuable fodder crop. From its natural range in Southwest Asia, it has spread to many countries. Its high protein content, unpretentiousness and high yield have made it a widespread and popular crop. Only low seed productivity restrains the spread of this plant. In weedy places you can find hybrids of alfalfa and crescent. This alfalfa variable. Its corolla is of a completely unimaginable color: yellow-green, often with purple streaks or spots. Such an unusual coloring involuntarily attracts attention.
Sickle alfalfa (Medicago falcata L.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: Yellow flowers are collected 20-30 in dense clusters.
Leaves: Leaflets up to 3 cm long, obovate to oblong, serrated upward from the middle, glabrous or slightly hairy above.
Height: 40-80 cm.
Stem: With straight or ascending stems.
Fruit: Beans with erect stalks, semi-lunate, glabrous or slightly hairy.
Blooms from May to September; The fruits ripen from June-July.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Habitat: Crescent alfalfa grows in meadows, forest edges, steppes, roadsides and field edges.
Prevalence: Grows in many regions of Europe and Asia. In Russia, it is widespread in the European part, with the exception of the northern regions, in the Ciscaucasia, in the south of Western and Eastern Siberia. A common species in all regions of Central Russia.
Addition: Propagated by seeds and vegetatively - by root suckers. Good forage plant, resistant to trampling; used for overseeding on natural pastures. Throughout its extensive range it has significant polymorphism; forms that are geographically isolated can be considered as subspecies and even small species, but most of them represent only non-inherited eco-morphological deviations. As an alien plant, it is rarely found close Romanian or steppe alfalfa (Medicago romanica Prodan), more southern origin. In many regions, including Central Russia, especially in its southern zone, it is cultivated as a valuable fodder plant. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). It often runs wild and moves far to the north along the roads.
Hop alfalfa (Medicago lupulina L.)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: The inflorescence is ovate, with 10-30 closely crowded yellow flowers. The calyx is broadly cube-shaped and bell-shaped. The corolla is no more than 1-3 mm long.
Leaves: Leaflets obovate or almost rhombic, serrated at the apex, with a notch.
Height: up to 20 cm.
Stem: With numerous thin, recumbent stems.
Fruit: Bob 2-3 mm long, kidney-shaped, reticulated with protruding veins.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms from May to autumn; The fruits begin to ripen in June.
Lifespan: Annual or biennial plant.
Habitat: Hoppy alfalfa grows in meadows, along roads and in various weedy places.
Prevalence: Distributed in Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia, Iran, Mongolia, the Himalayas, China, Japan, and as an alien species in North America. In Russia it is found in many areas of the European part, in the North Caucasus, in Western and Eastern Siberia (in the south). A common plant throughout Central Russia.
Addition: It has a certain feeding value and is used in grass mixtures (with other types of alfalfa and clovers), especially as a hedge plant.
Small alfalfa (Medicago minima (L.) Bartalini)
Description of appearance:
Flowers: The flowers are yellow, collected in few-flowered racemes. The calyx is broadly bell-shaped, densely hairy. Corolla 3-5 mm long.
Leaves: Leaflets are obovate, serrated along the upper edge, with a notch and a small pointed tip at the apex.
Height: 10-30 cm.
Stem: With numerous pubescent shoots, practically unbranched, spreading over the soil surface.
Fruit: The beans are spherical, 3-4 mm in diameter, snail-shaped, covered with long (longer than the diameter of the bean), protruding, curved at the top spines.
Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in May-June; the fruits ripen starting in May.
Lifespan: Annual, less often biennial plant.
Habitat: Small alfalfa grows in weedy places, weeds crops, and settles en masse in fallow lands.
Prevalence: Distributed in Central and Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia, Iran and the Himalayas. In Russia it is found in the Ciscaucasia and rarely (possibly as an alien) in a number of areas of the forest-steppe zone of the European part. In Central Russia it was found in the Bryansk, Oryol and Voronezh regions.
Addition: The fruits, equipped with hook-shaped spines, are easily carried by animals. Occasionally found as an alien (in particular in the Bryansk and Oryol regions), predominantly Mediterranean Alfalfa (Medicago denticulata Willd.).
A perennial plant of the spring-winter type of development, 50-100 cm high. The root system is powerful and more developed than that of blue alfalfa, penetrates into the soil up to 4-5, sometimes up to 10 or more meters, branched, with a large number of lateral roots. There are root shoot forms that form shoots from horizontal branches of the main taproot.
Stems numerous, erect or recumbent. The bush takes on a crumbling shape. The leaves are trifoliate. The middle leaflet has a longer stalk than the lateral ones, the leaflets are narrowed towards the base, obovate or oblong, serrated only at the apex. The leaf blade is bare, often pubescent below, narrower than that of blue alfalfa. In terms of foliage it is inferior to blue alfalfa.
The inflorescence is a thick raceme, ovoid or almost round. Corolla yellow. The beans are sickle-shaped, multi-seeded, dark brown. The seeds are smaller than those of blue alfalfa, irregularly bean-shaped, yellow or yellow-brown (Fig. 1.42). Weight of 1 thousand seeds is 1.2-1.4 g.
Yellow alfalfa has a wide distribution area, is characterized by high plasticity and adaptability to various growing conditions. Characterized by high winter hardiness and drought resistance. Mesoxerophyte. Distributed in forest-steppe, steppe and mountainous areas. It grows in floodplain and dry meadows, on hills, mountains and slopes, on chernozem, carbonate, and also on saline soils.
Yellow alfalfa is superior in winter hardiness to blue alfalfa and meadow clover. Compared to blue, it is more drought-resistant. Demanding on soil aeration. It has salt tolerance. It is more resistant to salinity and acidity of soils compared to blue.
It reaches full development in the third or fourth year of life and is more durable than blue alfalfa. Lives up to ten years or more. Withstands bleeding well. Eaten by all types of animals. After mowing, it produces one remnant. Less productive than blue alfalfa. The hay yield is 40-60 c/ha, the seed yield is 1-2 c/ha.
The chemical composition is similar to blue alfalfa, but the hay is coarser, as it contains more fiber. More suitable for pasture use.
Introduced into culture. In the Southern Urals there are many local ecotypes that are of interest for domestication and breeding of hybrid varieties. There are two forms: floodplain, which can withstand flooding for up to 20-30 days, and steppe, which is drought- and salt-resistant. Yellow floodplain alfalfa as a component of cereals in water meadows is extremely promising. Therefore, it should be sown in floodplains and estuaries with flooding for up to 20-30 days. The wall form should be cultivated on non-flooded lands, slopes, and salt licks.
We studied yellow alfalfa in simple, semi-complex and complex grass mixtures for hay and pasture use. On average, over the years of testing, the hay yield of single-species sowing of yellow alfalfa was 34.7 c/ha, alfalfa with brome was 46 c/ha, alfalfa with clover, timothy and brome was 55.2 c/ha, and in complex grass mixtures of 6-7 grass components - 39.2-48.1 c/ha.