The Rural Voice, 2003-08, Page 52Advice
Alfalfa needs
potassium
Continued from page 48
treatment, so top -dressing is required
unless the soil test is high.
Phosphorus top -dressing can be
done at any time of year, and is
generally combined with applications
of potash.
Potassium
If alfalfa is the queen of the
forages, then potash is the royal
consort. Legumes respond to ample
supplies of potassium. This cannot be
applied in the seeding band, because
of the danger of seed bum, but can be
applied pre -plant or top -dress.
Field trials by University of
Guelph found no difference in yield
response between spring, between -
cut, or fall applications, or between
single or split applications. The main
consideration is to apply the potash
to meet soil test recommendations.
The one caution with high potash
rates is that high levels of potassium
in the forage fed to dry cows can
result in increased risk of milk fever.
Keeping one field specifically for dry
cow hay can get around this.
Sulfur
High yields of high protein forage
are going to remove large amounts of
sulfur from the soil. Despite this, the
only areas that have shown a
response to sulfur are sandy soils in
northwestern Ontario. This can be
attributed to the sulfur that is still
supplied by acid rain, and to the deep
roots of alfalfa that can recover
sulfate that has leached below the
rooting zone of most other crops. At
present, we do not recommend sulfur
application to forages.
Micronutrients
Forage crops are generally non-
responsive to micronutrients in
Ontario, with one exception. Alfalfa
has a high demand for boron, and
there are circumstances where boron
application is justified.
Boron deficiency is most common
on sandy or gravelly soils during dry
weather. It shows up as stunted
alfalfa plants with red, yellow or
purple leaves at the top of the plant.
Boron deficiency is much more
prevalent in central Ontario than west
of the Niagara Escarpment.0
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