Source: OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
USING REDUCED-LIGNIN ALFALFA CULTIVARS TO IMPROVE WATER USE EFFICIENCY, FORAGE YIELD, AND FORAGE QUALITY IN WATER-LIMITED ENVIRONMENTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1020491
Grant No.
2019-70005-30290
Cumulative Award Amt.
$452,933.00
Proposal No.
2019-02816
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2019
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2024
Grant Year
2020
Program Code
[AFRP]- Alfalfa and Forage Program
Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
Plant & Soil Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Reduced-lignin alfalfa cultivars constitute a promising alternative for maximizing forage yield while maintaining forage quality. The current body of knowledge about this new technology is highly biased towards environments where annual precipitation exceeds annual atmospheric demand, and the impact of an extended growing period between forage cuts on the soil water balance and subsequent alfalfa productivity remains unknown in the water-limited region of the US Great Plains. We hypothesize that the extended growing periods between forage cuts can increase annual biomass production without detrimentally affecting forage quality and soil water storage. Our objectives are to i) quantify the effects of cutting management in conventional and reduced-lignin alfalfa cultivars on forage yield, forage quality, and water-use efficiency; ii) conduct a survey to link management practices to link and benchmark yields and water use-efficiency across Oklahoma and Kansas; iii) assess the economic feasibility of reduced-lignin alfalfa in water-limited environments; and iv) disseminate project findings to stakeholders. Field experiments and an on-farm survey will be conducted in portions of Oklahoma and Kansas characterized by high alfalfa acreage and high probability of soil water deficit. Based on the results from the field research and the on-farm survey, the economic feasibility of reduced-lignin alfalfa in water-limited environments will be determined. Project findings will be used to train extension educators and stakeholders on field days and crop schools.
Animal Health Component
20%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
60%
Applied
20%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
10216403100100%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
1640 - Alfalfa;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
The specific goals of this project are:Quantify the effects of cutting management of conventional and reduced-lignin alfalfa cultivars on forage yield, forage quality, and water-use efficiency;Conduct a comprehensive survey of current management practices and associated forage yield in commercial alfalfa fields of the CGP to characterize the management practices associated with current average and potential water-use efficiencies of the region.Assess the economic feasibility of reduced-lignin alfalfa in water-limited environments.To disseminate project findings and products to stakeholders
Project Methods
Objective 1:Alfalfacultivars 54R02, DKA43-22RR, WL 355.RR, and the reduced-lignin cultivar 54HVX41 (DuPont, Co., Pioneer™)will be seeded in early fall of 2019 in three locations across the CGP including the two locations in OK, and one in KS. The experiment will be conducted for two years (i.e., harvest seasons of 2020 and 2021). The same cultivars will be used for all locations.The experimental layout will be a strip-plot design with four replications. Harvest intervals (three cutting frequencies) will constitute the main plot and alfalfa cultivars (four cultivars) the subplot, totaling 48 experimental units.Harvest intervals will include 28, 35, and 42-days.Four half-meter squares of each subplot will be clipped. One sample from each plot will be used to evaluate alfalfa maturity. From the other three samples, fresh weight will be determined from each composite sample, a subsample willbe dried to determine dry matter (DM) content. Then,sub-samples will be processed and submitted toforage nutritive value analysisusing NIRS.Destructive above-ground biomass samples will be collected only during cutting time, and non-destructive measurements will be performed on the other dates of soil moisture readings using a rising plate meter.The Jenquip (Feilding, New Zealand) model EC09 rising plate meter will be used (Figure 3A, page 20). EC09 plate meter will be calibrated for alfalfa in Stillwater (Cho et al., 2018)Root-zone soil moisture will be measured weekly from April to November and every 20-30 days during the winter period using a neutron moisture meter (CPN, Model 503 DR, Figure 3B, page 20).Soil moisture measurements will be made at each forage harvesting date to accurately compare the WUE between forage cuts. Soil moisture readings will start atdepths 10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110, 130, 150, 170 and 190 cm. Neutron probe will be calibrated to each location.Soil samples from each location and at each reading depth will be used to determine soil texture (Gavlak et al., 2005),Soil water retention(Hyprop, Meter Environment, Pullman, WA) and a dew point potentiometer (WP4C, Meter Environment, Pullman, WA). Plant available water will be calculated. Changes in forage biomass and root-zone soil moisture storage will be used to calculate WUE between measurements. Evapotranspiration will be estimated as the change in soil water storage in the top 2 meters of the soil profile.Objective 2:Surveys will be distributed to producers using different delivery methods. First, the Regional Area Agronomists in Kansas and Oklahoma will help identify Extension Agents and farmers to collaborate with the MS student. The farmer network of both Oklahoma and Forage and Grassland Councils can also be used to increase the number of farmers sampled. Additional methods might be used if necessary.Information will be collected strictly from rainfed alfalfa fields. Information to be collected will be adapted from that collected for other crops (Grassini et al., 2015; Rattalino-Edreira et al., 2017; Mourtiznis et al., 2018; Lollato et al., 2019). The first round of surveys will be collected during November 2019-March 2020 with the goal of collecting information for the harvest years of 2016-2019. If necessary, a second round of surveys will be conducted during November 2020-March 2021.Producer name will not be disclosed and each field's individual management will be kept confidential.Growing-season precipitation total will be retrieved from each state's Mesonet networkto estimate field-specific precipitation. This will be plotted against forage yield, and WUE will be estimated using a boundary function (French and Schults, 1984) (Figure 6, page 21). Maximum and minimum temperatures, solar radiation, etcwill also be retrieved and their relationships with alfalfa yield explored.In order to assess factors associated with increased yield and WUE, several statistical methods will be employed. The data will be initially assessed using frequency distributions and descriptive statistics to demonstrate the range in a variation on current management practices adopted by alfalfa growers. Subsequently, we will fit an unconditional (no predictor) model considering all field-level variables (management practices and weather variables) as random effects. Next, a series of multivariate analysis techniques will be employed to find positive and negative associations between management practices and their interactions, with yield and WUE. These include multilevel modeling (Bell et al., 2013), stepwise, forward selection, backward elimination, least angle regression (LAR), etc.Objective 3:The physical production data from each replication (objective 1) will be used to evaluate differences in the value of alfalfa forage produced (accounting for both quantity and quality) and any differences in costs of production between cultivar-management strategy combinations. Current and historical price data are readily available for alfalfa forages of various qualities. Both OSU and KSU farm management economists maintain current reliable estimates of the costs of field operations for various forage production systems. Standard enterprise financial evaluation tools will be applied to obtain estimates of the net economic impacts (profits) associated with various production strategies (across all cultivar and harvest interval management strategies being studied). Yield and quality variation across replications within each year, across years, and across experimental sites will be combined with historical price fluctuations for various quality characteristics in the overall forage market to provide variability for sensitivity analysis. The "riskiness" of expected economic returns associated with the various cultivar-management strategy combinations will be examined and reported.Finally, various comparisons will be made regarding the relationship between expected net returns (and the distributions of those expected returns), and the physical water use efficiency measures obtained for the various cultivars and management strategies. The ability to examine these relationships will make this study particularly unique.Objective 4:The plan will be based on the following primary avenues:In-service training for extension agents -Producer field daysOklahoma and Kansas Forage and Grassland Council ConferencesAudiovisual material developmentResearch educational materials in the form of timely information (popular press and newsletter articles), printed and online material, and forage focus webinars will be developed to share results.We will disseminate information as radio interviews for much wider dissemination of the project outputs, including "Agriculture Today", which airs every weekday and is broadcast throughout most of KS and parts of OK, CO, and NE by KSUCAE. In addition, the Oklahoma Radio Network - add more info, will be utilized to discuss and disseminate project findings through extension specialists.

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Graduate students, producers, ranchers, farmers, agricultural consultants, agricultural educators, industry personnel, and scientists. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Objective 1--Undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to develop research and technical agricultural skills, such as research establishment, plant-soil-water sample collection and analysis, data reports, and presentation. Objective 2 - The graduate student responsible for this objective was vastly trained in conducting surveys with farmers, performing a systematic literature synthesis, homologizing data, analyzing and interpreting data, summarizing results, writing reports, and presenting scientific and extension presentations. Objective 3 -The undergraduate student responsible for this objective was vastly trained in conducting hay surveys and economic and risk analysis. Objective 4 - Producers, agricultural consultants, educators, and industry personnel were informed of the best alfalfa management practices developed through this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated as extension manuals, popular releases, presentations in producers' meetings, and multimedia presentations. A detailed list of outputs is provided in the "products" section. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Although this is a final report, we plan to continue disseminating our findings throughout the OSU and KSU extension systems. Three peer-reviewed manuscripts derived from the dataset collected from this project are being developed and will be submitted for publication soon.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Quantify the effects of cutting management of conventional and reduced-lignin alfalfa cultivars on forage yield, forage The study assessed the establishment and productivity of three conventional alfalfa cultivars and one reduced-lignin cultivar, HarvXtraTM, across two Oklahoma locations (Lahoma and Stillwater) and one Kansas (Hutchinson) from September 2019 to September 2022. The experiment featured a strip-plot design with three harvest intervals (28, 35, and 42 days) and four alfalfa cultivars, resulting in 48 experimental units. Soil moisture was monitored using neutron probes installed in each plot, and measurements were taken at various depths. Additionally, aboveground biomass was evaluated through destructive and indirect methods, including vegetation height and green canopy cover. Conduct a comprehensive survey of current management practices and associated forage yield in commercial alfalfa A comprehensive survey of alfalfa fields in central Kansas gathered data on management practices and forage yield over four growing seasons in rainfed conditions. Three hundred and ninety-four fields were surveyed using various methods during the winters of 2020 and 202. Growers provided information on 55 management variables, such as planting dates and fertilizer use. Weather data was collected from nearby stations, and soil characteristics were sourced from the SSURGO database. The study calculated four dependent variables: forage yield, water use efficiency, inefficient water, and yield gap, based on a global benchmark for water use efficiency established through a literature review. The study employed multivariate statistics, expressly conditional inference trees, to analyze how the 55 management practices and various weather and soil variables interact to influence alfalfa yield, water use efficiency, yield gap, and inefficient water use. The research provided a benchmark for water use efficiency, enabling growers and researchers to assess their water usage effectiveness. Additionally, the multivariate analysis aims to guide regional growers in adopting best management practices to enhance yield and water efficiency. Assess the economic feasibility of reduced-lignin alfalfa in water-limited environments. The physical production data from each replication (objective 1) was used to evaluate differences in the value of alfalfa forage produced (accounting for both quantity and quality) and any differences in production costs between cultivar-management strategy combinations. Current and historical alfalfa hay price data were obtained from USDA, National Agricultural Statistic Services. Then, standard enterprise financial evaluation tools were applied to obtain estimates of the net economic impacts (profits) associated with various production strategies (across all cultivar and harvest interval management strategies being studied). Yield and quality variation across replications within each year, across years, and experimental sites were combined with historical price fluctuations for various quality characteristics in the overall forage market to provide variability for sensitivity analysis. The "riskiness" of expected economic returns associated with the various cultivar-management strategy combinations was examined and reported. Finally, various comparisons were made regarding the relationship between expected net returns (and the distributions of those expected returns). To disseminate project findings and products to stakeholders The dissemination plan included: In-Service Training: Extension agents received training and presented initial and full study findings. Conferences: Results were shared at the Oklahoma and Producers Conferences, targeting producers and industry professionals. Audiovisual Materials: Digital videos were recorded and edited for educational use, broadcast on agricultural television, and shared online. Educational Materials: Extension publications, timely articles, and webinars were created to communicate findings, with materials distributed to extension offices and stakeholders. Radio Interviews: Project outputs were disseminated via radio programs, reaching a broad audience across Kansas and parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, and Nebraska.

Publications

  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2025 Citation: 1. Gerhardt A., R. Lollatto, A. Fotee, C. Goad, and A.C. Rocateli. 2025. Reduced-lignin Alfalfa Production in the US Central Great Plains Water-deficit Environment. Agronomy Journal. Accepted with minor review. DOI pending.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 5. Gerhardt, A., T.E. Oschner, C. Goad, A.C. Rocateli. 2021. Developing an alfalfa yield prediction model for central Oklahoma. (ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 6. Gerhardt A., Rocateli A., Foote A., Goad C., Lollato R. (2021) Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Oklahoma, 2021 Southern Pasture and Forage Crop Improvement Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 7. Gerhardt A., (2021) Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments, 2021 Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences Departmental Seminar, Virtual Seminar.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 8. Gerhardt A., (2021) Using Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments, 2021 Oklahoma State University FAPC/IFT-Ok Research Symposium, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 9. Gerhardt, A., A.C. Rocateli, A., Foote, C., Goad, R., Lollato. 2020. Reduced-lignin alfalfa in Oklahoma. (ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual meeting, Virtual)
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 1. Fink, K. 2021. Benchmarking Alfalfa Water Use Efficiency and Quatifying Yield Gaps in the U.S. central Great plains. Thesis. Available at: https://krex.k-state.edu/items/ae700b85-60d6-48a5-a06a-fb0e3b407093
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 2. Fink, K., P. Grassini, A. Patrignani, A. Gerhardt, A. Rocateli, and R.P. Lollato. 2021. On-farm yield, yield gap, and water productivity of dryland alfalfa in the US central Great Plains. 2021 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 3. Fink, K., R.P. Lollato, A. Gerhardt, and A. Rocateli. 2020. Impacts of agronomic practices on dryland alfalfa yield in Kansas: An on-farm assessment. 2020. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2025 Citation: 2. Gerhart, Alayna. Implementing new alfalfa technologies into water-limited environments. Available at: https://openresearch.okstate.edu/entities/publication/e139a661-0736-47b5-8c9e-58ff3c028105
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: 3. Santos, B.M., A. Gerhardt, T.E. Ochsner, A. Foote, R.P. Lollato, A.C. Rocateli. 2022. Accessing Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments. (2022 Joint Conference NAAICm Trifolium & Grass Breeders, Lansing, MI)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 4. Gerhardt, A., T.E. Oschner, A. Foote, R. P. Lollato, A.C. Rocateli. 2021. Assessing reduced-lignin cultivars in water-limited environments. (ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT)
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: 4. Fink, K.P., P. Grassini. A.C. Rocateli, L.M. Bastos, J. Kastens, L.P. Ryan, X. Lin, A. Patrignani, R.P. Lollato. 2022. Alfalfa water productivity and yield gaps in the U.S. central Great Plains. Field Crops Research 289:108728.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 1. Rocateli, A.C. 2020. Agronomic Calendar for Oklahoma Alfalfa Growers. L-491. Okla. Coop. Ext. Serv., Okla. St. Univ., Stillwater, OK. Available at: http://dasnr22.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-11883/L-491.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: 2. Shepherd K.C. and A.C. Rocateli. 2023, Alex Rocateli Shares What to Know Before Planting Alfalfa This Year. Aug. 18 issue. Available at: Alex Rocateli Shares What to Know Before Planting Alfalfa This Year - Oklahoma Farm Report
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: 3. Rocateli, A.C. Reduced-lignin alfalfa shows promise in the Southern Plains. Hay & Forage Grower. November 7, 2022 issue. Available at: https://hayandforage.com/article-4170-Reduced-lignin-alfalfa-shows-promise-in-the-Southern-Plains.html
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 4. Rocateli, A.C. Oklahoma State University recommendations maximize alfalfa field productivity. High Plains Journal. August 17, 2020 issue. 8-9p. Available at: https://www.hpj.com/
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: 5. Rocateli, A.C. and D. Bergmeier. Alfalfa, forage opportunities look brighter for 2019. High Plains Journal. January 28, 2019 issue, 8p. Available at: https://www.hpj.com/
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: 1. Rocateli, A.C. 2022. Reduced lignin alfalfa quantity and quality. (2022 Alfalfa U, Dodge City, KS) 2. Rocateli, A.C. 2022. Using reduced lignin alfalfa to improve water use efficiency, forage yield, and forage quality in water-liming environments. (2022 Joint Conference NAAIC, Trifolium, & Grass Breeders) 3. Rocateli, A.C. 2023. Reduced lignin alfalfa performance in Oklahoma. 2023 Wheat and Forage Field Day. Chickasha, Ok. Apr. 28 4. Rocateli, A.C. 2023. Alfalfa fertilization and variety performance. 2023 Alfalfa Management InService. Stillwater OK. Mar. 1. 5. Rocateli, A.C. 2023. Reduced lignin alfalfa performance in Oklahoma. Four county Annual Alfalfa meeting. Elk City, OK Feb. 7. 6. Rocateli, A.C. 2022. Reduced Lignin alfalfa management in Oklahoma. 2022 South East Coffee Shop with Educators. Ada, OK. April 13. 7. Rocateli, A.C. 2021. Reduced lignin alfalfa in a beef cattle system. Presented at: Ranchers Thursdays Lunchtime Series. Stillwater, OK. August 24. 8. Rocateli, A.C. 2020. Reduced lignin and round-ready alfalfa cultivar performance. Presented at: 2020 Virtual Lahoma Field Day. Lahoma, OK. May 08. 9. Rocateli, A.C. 2020. Alfalfa management techniques and varieties. Presented at: 2020 Payne County Virtual Pasture Field Day. Stillwater, OK. Aug. 8 10. Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Reduced lignin alfalfa cultivars. Presented at: 2019 Winter Crop School. Stillwater, OK. Dec. 17. 11. Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Reduced lignin alfalfa: What do we know so far? Presented at: Plant and Soil Science Online In service. Stillwater, Dec. 13. 12. Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Reduced lignin alfalfa: What do we know so far? Presented at: Plant and Soil Science Online In service. Stillwater, Dec. 13. 13. Fink, K., and R.P. Lollato. 2020. Alfalfa update: Survey of management practices. Kansas Grassland and Forage Council Annual Meeting. Virtual presentation.


Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Graduate students, producers, ranchers, farmers, agricultural consultants, agricultural educators, industry personnel, and scientists. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Objective 1--Undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to develop research and technical agricultural skills, such as research establishment, plant-soil-water sample collection and analysis, data reports, and presentation. Objective 2 - The graduate student responsible for this objective was vastly trained in conducting surveys with farmers, performing a systematic literature synthesis, homologizing data, analyzing and interpreting data, summarizing results, writing reports, and presenting scientific and extension presentations. Objective 3 -The undergraduate student responsible for this objective was vastly trained in conducting hay surveys and economic and risk analysis. Objective 4 - Producers, agricultural consultants, educators, and industry personnel were informed of the best alfalfa management practices developed through this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated as extension manuals, popular releases, presentations in producers' meetings, and multimedia presentations. A detailed list of outputs is provided in the "products" section. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Although this is a final report, we plan to continue disseminating our findings throughout the OSU and KSU extension systems. Three peer-reviewed manuscripts derived from the dataset collected from this project are being developed and will be submitted for publication soon.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Quantify the effects of cutting management of conventional and reduced-lignin alfalfa cultivars on forage yield, forage The study assessed the establishment and productivity of three conventional alfalfa cultivars and one reduced-lignin cultivar, HarvXtraTM, across two Oklahoma locations (Lahoma and Stillwater) and one Kansas (Hutchinson) from September 2019 to September 2022. The experiment featured a strip-plot design with three harvest intervals (28, 35, and 42 days) and four alfalfa cultivars, resulting in 48 experimental units. Soil moisture was monitored using neutron probes installed in each plot, and measurements were taken at various depths. Additionally, aboveground biomass was evaluated through destructive and indirect methods, including vegetation height and green canopy cover. Conduct a comprehensive survey of current management practices and associated forage yield in commercial alfalfa A comprehensive survey of alfalfa fields in central Kansas gathered data on management practices and forage yield over four growing seasons in rainfed conditions. Three hundred and ninety-four fields were surveyed using various methods during the winters of 2020 and 202. Growers provided information on 55 management variables, such as planting dates and fertilizer use. Weather data was collected from nearby stations, and soil characteristics were sourced from the SSURGO database. The study calculated four dependent variables: forage yield, water use efficiency, inefficient water, and yield gap, based on a global benchmark for water use efficiency established through a literature review. The study employed multivariate statistics, expressly conditional inference trees, to analyze how the 55 management practices and various weather and soil variables interact to influence alfalfa yield, water use efficiency, yield gap, and inefficient water use. The research provided a benchmark for water use efficiency, enabling growers and researchers to assess their water usage effectiveness. Additionally, the multivariate analysis aims to guide regional growers in adopting best management practices to enhance yield and water efficiency. Assess the economic feasibility of reduced-lignin alfalfa in water-limited environments. The physical production data from each replication (objective 1) was used to evaluate differences in the value of alfalfa forage produced (accounting for both quantity and quality) and any differences in production costs between cultivar-management strategy combinations. Current and historical alfalfa hay price data were obtained from USDA, National Agricultural Statistic Services. Then, standard enterprise financial evaluation tools were applied to obtain estimates of the net economic impacts (profits) associated with various production strategies (across all cultivar and harvest interval management strategies being studied). Yield and quality variation across replications within each year, across years, and experimental sites were combined with historical price fluctuations for various quality characteristics in the overall forage market to provide variability for sensitivity analysis. The "riskiness" of expected economic returns associated with the various cultivar-management strategy combinations was examined and reported. Finally, various comparisons were made regarding the relationship between expected net returns (and the distributions of those expected returns). To disseminate project findings and products to stakeholders The dissemination plan included: In-Service Training: Extension agents received training and presented initial and full study findings. Conferences: Results were shared at the Oklahoma and Producers Conferences, targeting producers and industry professionals. Audiovisual Materials: Digital videos were recorded and edited for educational use, broadcast on agricultural television, and shared online. Educational Materials: Extension publications, timely articles, and webinars were created to communicate findings, with materials distributed to extension offices and stakeholders. Radio Interviews: Project outputs were disseminated via radio programs, reaching a broad audience across Kansas and parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, and Nebraska.

Publications

  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2025 Citation: 2. Gerhart, Alayna. Implementing new alfalfa technologies into water-limited environments. Available at: https://openresearch.okstate.edu/entities/publication/e139a661-0736-47b5-8c9e-58ff3c028105
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2025 Citation: 3. Santos, B.M., A. Gerhardt, T.E. Ochsner, A. Foote, R.P. Lollato, A.C. Rocateli. 2022. Accessing Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments. (2022 Joint Conference NAAICm Trifolium & Grass Breeders, Lansing, MI)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 4. Gerhardt, A., T.E. Oschner, A. Foote, R. P. Lollato, A.C. Rocateli. 2021. Assessing reduced-lignin cultivars in water-limited environments. (ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 5. Gerhardt, A., T.E. Oschner, C. Goad, A.C. Rocateli. 2021. Developing an alfalfa yield prediction model for central Oklahoma. (ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 6. Gerhardt A., Rocateli A., Foote A., Goad C., Lollato R. (2021) Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Oklahoma, 2021 Southern Pasture and Forage Crop Improvement Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 7. Gerhardt A., (2021) Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments, 2021 Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences Departmental Seminar, Virtual Seminar.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 8. Gerhardt A., (2021) Using Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments, 2021 Oklahoma State University FAPC/IFT-Ok Research Symposium, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 9. Gerhardt, A., A.C. Rocateli, A., Foote, C., Goad, R., Lollato. 2020. Reduced-lignin alfalfa in Oklahoma. (ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual meeting, Virtual)
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 1. Fink, K. 2021. Benchmarking Alfalfa Water Use Efficiency and Quatifying Yield Gaps in the U.S. central Great plains. Thesis. Available at: https://krex.k-state.edu/items/ae700b85-60d6-48a5-a06a-fb0e3b407093
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 2. Fink, K., P. Grassini, A. Patrignani, A. Gerhardt, A. Rocateli, and R.P. Lollato. 2021. On-farm yield, yield gap, and water productivity of dryland alfalfa in the US central Great Plains. 2021 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 3. Fink, K., R.P. Lollato, A. Gerhardt, and A. Rocateli. 2020. Impacts of agronomic practices on dryland alfalfa yield in Kansas: An on-farm assessment. 2020. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: 4. Fink, K.P., P. Grassini. A.C. Rocateli, L.M. Bastos, J. Kastens, L.P. Ryan, X. Lin, A. Patrignani, R.P. Lollato. 2022. Alfalfa water productivity and yield gaps in the U.S. central Great Plains. Field Crops Research 289:108728.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 1. Rocateli, A.C. 2020. Agronomic Calendar for Oklahoma Alfalfa Growers. L-491. Okla. Coop. Ext. Serv., Okla. St. Univ., Stillwater, OK. Available at: http://dasnr22.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-11883/L-491.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: 2. Shepherd K.C. and A.C. Rocateli. 2023, Alex Rocateli Shares What to Know Before Planting Alfalfa This Year. Aug. 18 issue. Available at: Alex Rocateli Shares What to Know Before Planting Alfalfa This Year - Oklahoma Farm Report
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: 3. Rocateli, A.C. Reduced-lignin alfalfa shows promise in the Southern Plains. Hay & Forage Grower. November 7, 2022 issue. Available at: https://hayandforage.com/article-4170-Reduced-lignin-alfalfa-shows-promise-in-the-Southern-Plains.html
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 4. Rocateli, A.C. Oklahoma State University recommendations maximize alfalfa field productivity. High Plains Journal. August 17, 2020 issue. 8-9p. Available at: https://www.hpj.com/
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: 5. Rocateli, A.C. and D. Bergmeier. Alfalfa, forage opportunities look brighter for 2019. High Plains Journal. January 28, 2019 issue, 8p. Available at: https://www.hpj.com/
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: 1. Rocateli, A.C. 2022. Reduced lignin alfalfa quantity and quality. (2022 Alfalfa U, Dodge City, KS) 2. Rocateli, A.C. 2022. Using reduced lignin alfalfa to improve water use efficiency, forage yield, and forage quality in water-liming environments. (2022 Joint Conference NAAIC, Trifolium, & Grass Breeders) 3. Rocateli, A.C. 2023. Reduced lignin alfalfa performance in Oklahoma. 2023 Wheat and Forage Field Day. Chickasha, Ok. Apr. 28 4. Rocateli, A.C. 2023. Alfalfa fertilization and variety performance. 2023 Alfalfa Management InService. Stillwater OK. Mar. 1. 5. Rocateli, A.C. 2023. Reduced lignin alfalfa performance in Oklahoma. Four county Annual Alfalfa meeting. Elk City, OK Feb. 7. 6. Rocateli, A.C. 2022. Reduced Lignin alfalfa management in Oklahoma. 2022 South East Coffee Shop with Educators. Ada, OK. April 13. 7. Rocateli, A.C. 2021. Reduced lignin alfalfa in a beef cattle system. Presented at: Ranchers Thursdays Lunchtime Series. Stillwater, OK. August 24. 8. Rocateli, A.C. 2020. Reduced lignin and round-ready alfalfa cultivar performance. Presented at: 2020 Virtual Lahoma Field Day. Lahoma, OK. May 08. 9. Rocateli, A.C. 2020. Alfalfa management techniques and varieties. Presented at: 2020 Payne County Virtual Pasture Field Day. Stillwater, OK. Aug. 8 10. Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Reduced lignin alfalfa cultivars. Presented at: 2019 Winter Crop School. Stillwater, OK. Dec. 17. 11. Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Reduced lignin alfalfa: What do we know so far? Presented at: Plant and Soil Science Online In service. Stillwater, Dec. 13. 12. Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Reduced lignin alfalfa: What do we know so far? Presented at: Plant and Soil Science Online In service. Stillwater, Dec. 13. 13. Fink, K., and R.P. Lollato. 2020. Alfalfa update: Survey of management practices. Kansas Grassland and Forage Council Annual Meeting. Virtual presentation.
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2025 Citation: 1. Gerhardt A., R. Lollatto, A. Fotee, C. Goad, and A.C. Rocateli. 2025. Reduced-lignin Alfalfa Production in the US Central Great Plains Water-deficit Environment. Agronomy Journal. Accepted with minor review. DOI pending.


Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Agricultural producers, ranchers, agricultural consultants, researchers, and county extension agents. Changes/Problems:We expect that all activities will be accomplished after the extended period. As the world we are recovering and catching up with all the setbacks from the pandemic, such as labor shortages, equipment fixing/pieces purchases issues, social distancing, etc. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Objective 1 - undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to develop research and technical agricultural skills such as research establishment, plant-soil-water sample collection and analysis, data reports, and presentation. Objective 2 - The graduate student responsible for this objective was vastly trained in conducting surveys with farmers, performing a systematic literature synthesis, homologizing data, analyzing and interpreting data, summarizing results, writing reports, and presenting scientific and extension presentations. Objective 3 - nothing to report in this cycle Objective 4 - nothing to report in this cycle How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?From OSU, two extension presentations were delivered. One presentation for OK and KS producers in the 2022 Alfalfa U hosted by the High Plains Journal at Dodge City, Kansas, on Feb 22, 2022. The other presentation was an Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Online In-service, "Ag. Coffee Shop," on Apr. 20, 2022. In both presentations, the partial results from Objective 1 and other alfalfa management strategies were discussed. From KSU, a single presentation occurred at the annual meeting of the Kansas Grassland and Forage Council. More presentations and extension materials will be developed once the findings are published in the scientific literature. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1 - Data collection and processing will be accomplished by the Winter of 2022. Objective 2 - Data collection and analyses are finished in this objective. Currently, a poster is being prepared to present at the 2021 ASA-CSSA-SSSA annual meeting, and a scientific manuscript is being prepared and submitted for publication during the fall of 2021. Once the manuscript is accepted for publication, results will be disseminated to local growers through factsheets, audiovisual outputs for television, social media, and producers' meetings. Objective 3 - As previously described in the initial proposal, the efforts related to this objective will start in the winter of 2022, when physical production data from each replication (objective 1) will be used to evaluate differences in the value of alfalfa forage produced (accounting for both quantity and quality) and any differences in costs of production between cultivar-management strategy combinations. Current and historical price data are readily available for alfalfa forages of various qualities. Both OSU and KSU farm management economists maintain current, reliable estimates of the costs of field operations for various forage production systems. Standard enterprise financial evaluation tools will be applied to obtain estimates of the net economic impacts (profits) associated with various production strategies (across all cultivar and harvest interval management strategies being studied). Yield and quality variation across replications within each year, across years, and across experimental sites will be combined with historical price fluctuations for various quality characteristics in the overall forage market to provide variability for sensitivity analysis. The "riskiness" of expected economic returns associated with the various cultivar-management strategy combinations will be examined and reported. Finally, various comparisons will be made regarding the relationship between expected net returns (and the distributions of those expected returns), and the physical WUE measures obtained for the various cultivars and managementstrategies. The ability to examine these relationships will make this study particularly unique. Objective 4 - As described in the initial proposal and assuming that the social distancing policies will not be in place during the summer, fall of 2022, and spring of 2023, the extension plan for the extension will continue to follow what was described in the original proposal. If social distancing policies is imposed, the face-to-face portion of the events described will be held virtually. The extension group has done virtual programs related to forages (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb-1V0k-AWA) and wheat (see example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bule71cZenY) and will also adapt to alfalfa as needed. These programs include: • In-service training for extension agents • Producer field days • Oklahoma and Kansas Forage and Grassland Council Conferences • Audiovisual material development • Extension educational materials in the form of timely information (popular press and newsletter articles), printed and online material, and forage focus webinars will be developed to share objective 1, 2, and 3 results. • We will disseminate information as radio interviews for much wider dissemination of the project outputs.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: statistical analysis of the first alfalfa season was performed during the winter. Partial results showed that the 35-day interval resulted in slightly higher forage quality than the 42-day harvest interval. However, the forage yield was not different between these two harvest intervals. Alfalfa harvest at 28-day harvest interval produced the least forage yield, which may be compensated by its higher forage quality. Additionally, the reduced-lignin cultivar was found to have higher crude protein, digestibility, and lower lignin content than reference cultivars. Objective 2:Major activities completed: A comprehensive survey of alfalfa fields reporting management practices and forage yield was conducted with data collected for four consecutive growing seasons in rainfed fields in central Kansas. These surveys were conducted in person, electronically, or by phone during the winter of 2020 and 2021. Total number of fields surveyed was 394. A systematic literature review was conducted in the summer of 2021 to benchmark alfalfa water use efficiency at a global level, and this benchmark is being used to calculate yield gaps in the survey data. 2) Data collected: From each field surveyed, data reported by the growers allowed for the calculation of 55 independent management variables such as planting date and fertilizer and cutting management. From each field, weather data was collected by triangulating daily data for maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, reference evapotranspiration, and solar radiation from nearby weather stations using the field's geocoordinates. Likewise, soil characteristics of each field such as water holding capacity and texture, were collected from the SSURGO database. For each field, four dependent variables were collected or calculated: forage yield, water use efficiency, inefficient water, and yield gap. Inefficient water and yield gap were calculated using the benchmark water use efficiency developed from the systematic literature review. 3) Summary statistics and results: Average alfalfa yield in surveyed fields ranged from 0.9 to 22 Mg ha-1 and averaged 8.9 Mg ha-1. Water use efficiency of commercial fields ranged from 1 to 30.8 kg ha-1 mm-1, averaging 11.1 kg ha-1 mm-1. We benchmarked potential alfalfa water use efficiency using a French and Schultz approach at approximately 30 kg ha-1 mm-1, resulting in a yield gap ranging from null to 21 Mg ha-1 and averaging 11 Mg ha-1 in central Kansas. These results suggest that based on water availability per se, alfalfa yields could double in the region, but other factors might limit it. We are currently using multivariate statistics (more specifically, conditional inference trees) to explore how the 55 management practices and several weather and soil variables interacted in determining alfalfa yield, water use efficiency, yield gap, and inefficient water use in the region. 4) Key outcomes: A key outcome of this research is the valuable benchmark water use efficiency against which growers and researchers can quantify their efficient (or inefficient) use of water. Another important outcome will include the multivariate analysis above, which will help guide growers in the region to adopt best management practices to improve yield and water use efficiency. Objective 3: no accomplishment in this cycle Objective 4. Extension presentations of research findings to alfalfa growers in Kansas and Oklahomawere performed as listed in other sections of this report.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Rocateli, A.C. 2021. Reduced lignin alfalfa: Quantity and Quality Considerations. High Plains Journal. March 2022. 14p.


Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Researchers, county extension agents, agricultural producers, ranchers, and crop consultants. Changes/Problems:Although social distancing policies were loosened from May 2022, we are still experiencing labor and student adherence shortage. Therefore, we had requested an extension for this current grant in other to accomplish all proposed objectives. Likewise, social distancing policies challenged the collection of survey data from growers. While we have finished this data collection, the delay lingered into data analysis and manuscript writing portions of this objective, which are currently undergoing. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Objective 1 - Undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to develop research and technical agricultural skills such as research establishment, plant-soil-water sample collection and analysis, data reports, and presentation. Objective 2 - The graduate student responsible for this objective was vastly trained in conducting surveys with farmers, performing a systematic literature synthesis, homologizing data, analyzing and interpreting data, summarizing results, writing reports, and presenting scientific and extension presentations. c. Objective 3 - Nothing to report in this cycle d. Objective 4 - Alfalfa management information, such as planting, fertilization, weed control, and cutting schedules were disseminated to county extension agents, agricultural producers, ranchers, and crop consultants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Partial results were disseminated to the scientific community in scientific conferences as posters and oral presentations. Alfalfa management was disseminated thru an alfalfa calendar extension publicationand a single presentation occurred in the annual meeting of Kansas Grassland and Forage Council. More presentations and extension materials will be developed once the findings are published in the scientific literature. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1 - Data collection and processing will be accomplished by the Winter of 2021. The results of these trials will be used to generate peer-reviewed papers, factsheets, audiovisual outputs for television, social media, and producers meetings. Objective 2 - Data collection and analyses are finished in this objective. Currently, a poster is being prepared to present at the 2021 ASA-CSSA-SSSA annual meeting, and a scientific manuscript is being prepared for submission during the fall of 2021. Once the manuscript is published, results will be disseminated to local growers through factsheets, audiovisual outputs for television, social media, and producers meetings. Objective 3 - As previously described in the initial proposal, the efforts related to this objective will start in 2022, when physical production data from each replication (objective 1) will be used to evaluate differences in the value of alfalfa forage produced (accounting for both quantity and quality) and any differences in costs of production between cultivar-management strategy combinations. Current and historical price data are readily available for alfalfa forages of various qualities. Both OSU and KSU farm management economists maintain current reliable estimates of the costs of field operations for various forage production systems. Standard enterprise financial evaluation tools will be applied to obtain estimates of the net economic impacts (profits) associated with various production strategies (across all cultivar and harvest interval management strategies being studied). Yield and quality variation across replications within each year, across years, and across experimental sites will be combined with historical price fluctuations for various quality characteristics in the overall forage market to provide variability for sensitivity analysis. The "riskiness" of expected economic returns associated with the various cultivar-management strategy combinations will be examined and reported. Finally, various comparisons will be made regarding the relationship between expected net returns (and the distributions of those expected returns), and the physical WUE measures obtained for the various cultivars and managementstrategies. The ability to examine these relationships will make this study particularly unique. Objective 4 - As described in the initial proposal and assuming that the social distancing policies will not be in place during 2022, the extension plan for year 3 (extended) will continue to follow what was described in the original proposal. If social distancing policies are imposed into 2022, the face-to-face portion of the events described will be held virtually. The extension group has done virtual programs related to wheat (see example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bule71cZenY) and will also adapt to alfalfa as needed. These programs include: • In-service training for extension agents, • Producer field days, • Oklahoma and Kansas Forage and Grassland Council Conferences, • Audiovisual material development, • Extension educational materials in the form of timely information (popular press and newsletter articles), printed and online material, and forage focus webinars will be developed to share objectives 1, 2, and 3 results • Radio and Podcast interviews forwider dissemination of the project outputs.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1 - Producers will be prone to adopt new alfalfa technologies, such as roundup and reduced-lignin alfalfas because our results show their benefits. Also, our research is developing specific cutting management for the centralGreat Plains and other low precipitation regions of the U.S. Consequently, an increase in alfalfa acreage and production may be expected in the forthcoming years. This alfalfa forage production increment would directly benefit the beef and dairy industries and indirectly benefit the overall society by increasing the production of animal products - food security. During this current cycle, alfalfa height and cover were measured, plant samples were harvested, and soil water contents readings were performed during September 2020 and from May to August 2021. Samples were properly dried, dry forage yield was estimated. Then, samples were processed and analyzed for quality. Statistical analysis of the first alfalfa season was performed during the winter. Partial results showed that the 35-day interval resulted in slightly higher forage quality than the 42-day harvest interval. However, the forage yield was not different between these two harvest intervals. Alfalfa harvest at 28-day harvest interval produced the least forage yield, which may be compensated by its higher forage quality. Additionally, the reduced-lignin cultivar was found to have higher crude protein, digestibility, and lower lignin content than reference cultivars. Objective 2 -1) Major activities completed: A comprehensive survey of alfalfa fields reporting management practices and forage yield was conducted with data collected for four consecutive growing seasons in rainfed fields in central Kansas. These surveys were conducted in person, electronically, and by phone during the winter of 2020 and 2021. The total number of fields surveyed was 394. A systematic literature review was conducted in the summer of 2021 to benchmark alfalfa water use efficiency at a global level, and this benchmark is being used to calculate yield gaps in the survey data. 2) Data collected: From each field surveyed, data reported by the growers allowed for the calculation of 55 independent management variables such as planting date, fertilizer, and cutting management. From each field, weather data were collected by triangulating daily data for maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, reference evapotranspiration, and solar radiation from nearby weather stations using the field's geocoordinates. Likewise, soil characteristics of each field, such as water holding capacity and texture, were collected from the SSURGO database. For each field, four dependent variables were collected or calculated: forage yield, water use efficiency, inefficient water, and yield gap. Inefficient water and yield gap were calculated using the benchmark water use efficiency developed from the systematic literature review. 3) Summary statistics and results: Average alfalfa yield in surveyed fields ranged from 0.9 to 22 Mg ha-1 and averaged 8.9 Mg ha-1. The water use efficiency of commercial fields ranged from 1 to 30.8 kg ha-1 mm-1, averaging 11.1 kg ha-1 mm-1. We benchmarked potential alfalfa water use efficiency using a French and Schultz approach at approximately 30 kg ha-1 mm-1, resulting in a yield gap ranging from null to 21 Mg ha-1 and averaging 11 Mg ha-1 in central Kansas. These results suggest that based on water availability per se, alfalfa yields could double in the region, but other factors might limit it. We are currently using multivariate statistics (specifically conditional inference trees) to explore how the 55 management practices and severe weather and soil variables interacted in determining alfalfa yield, water use efficiency, yield gap, and inefficient water use in the region. 4) Key outcomes are (i) the valuable benchmark water use efficiency against which growers and researchers can quantify their efficient (or inefficient) water use, and (ii) the multivariate analysis described above will help guide growers in the region to adopt the best management practices to improve yield and water use efficiency. Objective 3 - no accomplishment in this cycle Objective 4. Extension presentations of research findings to alfalfa growers in Kansas: Fink, K., and R.P. Lollato. 2020. Alfalfa update: Survey of management practices. Kansas Grassland and Forage Council Annual Meeting. Virtual presentation.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gerhardt A., Rocateli A., Foote A., Goad C., Lollato R. (2021) Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Oklahoma, 2021 Southern Pasture and Forage Crop Improvement Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gerhardt A., Rocateli A., Foote A., Goad C., Lollato R. (2021) Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments, 2021 Oklahoma State University Plant and Soil Sciences Departmental Seminar, Virtual Seminar.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gerhardt A., Rocateli A., Foote A., Goad C., Lollato R. (2021) Using Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Water-Limited Environments, 2021 Oklahoma State University FAPC/IFT-Ok Research Symposium, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gerhardt A., Rocateli A., Foote A., Goad C., Lollato R. (2020) Reduced-Lignin Alfalfa Cultivars in Oklahoma, 2021 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Fink, K., P. Grassini, A. Patrignani, A. Gerhardt, A. Rocateli, and R.P. Lollato. (2021) On-farm yield, yield gap, and water productivity of dryland alfalfa in the US central Great Plains. 2021 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Fink, K., R.P. Lollato, A. Gerhardt, and A. Rocateli. (2020) Impacts of agronomic practices on dryland alfalfa yield in Kansas: An on-farm assessment. 2020. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rocateli, A.C. 2020. Agronomic Calendar for Oklahoma Alfalfa Growers. L-491. Okla. Coop. Ext. Serv., Okla. St. Univ., Stillwater, OK. Available at: http://dasnr22.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-11883/L-491.pdf


Progress 09/30/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached by our efforts during this period report included: undergraduate students, international and national studentinterns, agricultural educators (extension personnel), and agricultural producers. Changes/Problems:Alterations and additions: The initially proposed cultivars 54R02 (DuPont, Co., Pioneer™), DKA43-22RR (Monsanto, Co., Dekalb ®), WL 355.RR (Land O'Lakes, Inc., WL-Alfalfas®) were replaced by 54VR12 (DuPont, Co., Pioneer™), DKA44-16RR (Monsanto, Co., Dekalb®), and WL 356HQRR (Land O'Lakes, Inc., WL-Alfalfas®). As previously described in the initial narrative: "commercially available conventional (three entries) and reduced-lignin (one entry, HArvXtraTM) cultivars will be compared." According to Dupont and Mosanto seed companies' personnel, the commercially available conventional alfalfa cultivars most adapted to the CGP region are the newly selected ones rather than the previously proposed ones. These changes do not alter the concept of the experiment. The plot size for all locations was modified from 3 m wide by 10 m long (30 m2 plots) to 5 m wide by 5 m long (25 m2 plots). This plot dimension modification resulted in improved soil moisture reading precision by having wider plots so that the plot width was at least two times the depth of soil moisture measurements. The Chickasha, OKlocation was moved to Stillwater, OK. The soil pH in the field available for trial establishment in Chickasha was very low for alfalfa production (c.a. 5.7). Considering that agricultural lime can take several months to raise the soil pH, we concluded that these values could compromise at least a full season of measurements in that location. In addition, high aphid infestations were observed in Chickasha in past years. Those factors could jeopardize alfalfa establishment during fall in Chickasha. Under these circumstances, the experiment was transferred near Stillwater, OK, where soil pH was appropriated for alfalfa production (c.a., 6.5), and low pest and disease pressure were observed in the past years. The Stillwater location fulfills all initial proposal requisites for site selection, as it is in the alfalfa production region and annual evapotranspiration is greater than precipitation. The initial proposed indirect aboveground biomass method was the compressed plant height using the Jenquip EC09 rise plate meter (Feilding, New Zeland). In addition, we are evaluating three extra indirect methods for estimating aboveground biomass, including plant height, grazing height, and green canopy cover. The methodology or combination of methodologies that predict aboveground matter with higher precision will be employed. The collection of these added indirect methods are not time or labor consuming, and do not add extra costs to the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate students were hired, and other graduate students participate in the project as hourly employees. The PIsand students received training onNuclear Gauge Safety for soil moisture data collection (objective 1), and on IRB (Institutional Review Board) Social Behavioral andEducational Researchers forinterviews conduction (objective 2). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To date, no direct results from this proposal weredisseminated. However, TV interviews, YouTube videos, and presentations in Extension events were used to 1. disseminate the potential of reduced-lignin alfalfa, 2. introduce to stakeholders our research efforts, and 3. advertise theAlfalfa Best Management Practices Survey. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our next period reporting's plans to accomplish the objectivesare: Objective1. Finishfield data collection, and data analysis. Objective 2. Finishdata collection and data analysis. Objective 3. Economic analysis development based on results from goal 1. Objective 4. Dissemination of results from Objectives 1, 2, and 3.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Overall, the potential benefits of introducing reduced-lignin alfalfa to forage production systems were disseminated, andestablishedreduced-lignin alfalfastands were demonstrated to producers. Also, interaction with forage producers allowing them to be familiar with the initial steps of our project was made, while project personnel performed theAlfalfa Best Management Practices Survey. The partial accomplishments achieved for each specific goal were: 1.Three conventional alfalfa cultivars and the reduced-lignin HarvXtra cultivar were seeded in early September of 2019 at the in Lahoma, OK, Stillwater, OK, and Hutchinson, KS. The experiments were well established at both Oklahoma locations, and aboveground dry biomass (ADM) measurements of plant height, compressed height, canopy cover, phenological stage, soil moisture, and forage yield are occurring according to the proposed plan is described in the initial proposal. However, the alfalfa establishment was spotty in the Kansas location due to an absence of precipitation for approximately three weeks following the sowing of the trial. Consequently, the original experiment was terminated in March 2020 due to suboptimal stands, and a new alfalfa experiment was established at the same location in mid-April 2020. Preliminary data analysis from the first harvest in Stillwater and Lahoma indicated that ADM accumulation was similar when comparing different harvest schedules for all tested cultivars. Furthermore, ADM differences among cultivars were only found in Lahoma, where the reduced lignin alfalfa (54HVX41) had 25% less ADM accumulation than 54VR12 across all harvest frequencies. Finally, the indirect aboveground biomass method with the strongest relationship with ADM data was the grazing height (R2= 0.67, Fig.1). The results discussed in this paragraph are preliminary, as at least two entire alfalfa seasons with four to five harvests per season are necessary for conclusions. 2.Alfalfa Best Management Practices Surveyexploring the main management factors possibly affecting alfalfa yield, and a protocol for contacting alfalfa growers, was developed and initiated. The survey was developed such that it allowed for the calculation of 69 independent variables, such as sowing date, alfalfa cultivar, stand age, type and amount of fertilizer applied, etc. The protocol for contacting growers included in-person visits, phone calls, emails, and other means of communication. These documents were submitted to each university's Research Compliance Office Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects for approval before contacting growers. To date, a total of twenty-eight growers were interviewed and provided data from 73 commercial fields, which combined with the number of years of information provided for each field, resulted in 235 field-years of information. Preliminary data analysis indicated that: 1. Annual alfalfa forage yield ranged from 0.4 to 9.6 tons/ac and averaged 3.81 tons/ac, 2. alfalfa yield increased with increases in the number of cuts per year (likely a consequence of greater yielding fields requiring more cutting operations), 3. Alfalfa yield was lower in fields that received herbicide applications during the growing season (n = 132) versus those that did not receive herbicide (n = 95). We intend to continue with the efforts to collect grower-reported data for a total of at least 600 field-years in Kansas and Oklahoma for increased power of the statistical analysis and soundness of the results. 3. As described in the initial proposal, this goal will be developed inYear 2. 4.Potentialbenefits ofintroducingreduced-lignin alfalfa to forage production systems in the Central Great Plains were disseminated. Also, established reduced lignin alfalfa fields were demonstrated to producers.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience reached by our efforts during this period report included: undergraduate students, international and national studentinterns, agricultural educators (extension personnel), and agricultural producers. Changes/Problems:Alterations and additions: The initially proposed cultivars 54R02 (DuPont, Co., Pioneer™), DKA43-22RR (Monsanto, Co., Dekalb ®), WL 355.RR (Land O'Lakes, Inc., WL-Alfalfas®) were replaced by 54VR12 (DuPont, Co., Pioneer™), DKA44-16RR (Monsanto, Co., Dekalb®), and WL 356HQRR (Land O'Lakes, Inc., WL-Alfalfas®). As previously described in the initial narrative: "commercially available conventional (three entries) and reduced-lignin (one entry, HArvXtraTM) cultivars will be compared." According to Dupont and Mosanto seed companies' personnel, the commercially available conventional alfalfa cultivars most adapted to the CGP region are the newly selected ones rather than the previously proposed ones. These changes do not alter the concept of the experiment. The plot size for all locations was modified from 3 m wide by 10 m long (30 m2 plots) to 5 m wide by 5 m long (25 m2 plots). This plot dimension modification resulted in improved soil moisture reading precision by having wider plots so that the plot width was at least two times the depth of soil moisture measurements. The Chickasha, OKlocation was moved to Stillwater, OK. The soil pH in the field available for trial establishment in Chickasha was very low for alfalfa production (c.a. 5.7). Considering that agricultural lime can take several months to raise the soil pH, we concluded that these values could compromise at least a full season of measurements in that location. In addition, high aphid infestations were observed in Chickasha in past years. Those factors could jeopardize alfalfa establishment during fall in Chickasha. Under these circumstances, the experiment was transferred near Stillwater, OK, where soil pH was appropriated for alfalfa production (c.a., 6.5), and low pest and disease pressure were observed in the past years. The Stillwater location fulfills all initial proposal requisites for site selection, as it is in the alfalfa production region and annual evapotranspiration is greater than precipitation. The initial proposed indirect aboveground biomass method was the compressed plant height using the Jenquip EC09 rise plate meter (Feilding, New Zeland). In addition, we are evaluating three extra indirect methods for estimating aboveground biomass, including plant height, grazing height, and green canopy cover. The methodology or combination of methodologies that predict aboveground matter with higher precision will be employed. The collection of these added indirect methods are not time or labor consuming, and do not add extra costs to the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate students were hired, and other graduate students participate in the project as hourly employees. The PIsand students received training onNuclear Gauge Safety for soil moisture data collection (objective 1), and on IRB (Institutional Review Board) Social Behavioral andEducational Researchers forinterviews conduction (objective 2). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To date, no direct results from this proposal weredisseminated. However, TV interviews, YouTube videos, and presentations in Extension events were used to 1. disseminate the potential of reduced-lignin alfalfa, 2. introduce to stakeholders our research efforts, and 3. advertise theAlfalfa Best Management Practices Survey. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our next period reporting's plans to accomplish the objectivesare: Objective1. Finishfield data collection, and data analysis. Objective 2. Finishdata collection and data analysis. Objective 3. Economic analysis development based on results from goal 1. Objective 4. Dissemination of results from Objectives 1, 2, and 3.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Overall, the potential benefits of introducing reduced-lignin alfalfa to forage production systems were disseminated, andestablishedreduced-lignin alfalfastands were demonstrated to producers. Also, interaction with forage producers allowing them to be familiar with the initial steps of our project was made, while project personnel performed theAlfalfa Best Management Practices Survey. The partial accomplishments achieved for each specific goal were: 1.Three conventional alfalfa cultivars and the reduced-lignin HarvXtra cultivar were seeded in early September of 2019 at the in Lahoma, OK, Stillwater, OK, and Hutchinson, KS. The experiments were well established at both Oklahoma locations, and aboveground dry biomass (ADM) measurements of plant height, compressed height, canopy cover, phenological stage, soil moisture, and forage yield are occurring according to the proposed plan is described in the initial proposal. However, the alfalfa establishment was spotty in the Kansas location due to an absence of precipitation for approximately three weeks following the sowing of the trial. Consequently, the original experiment was terminated in March 2020 due to suboptimal stands, and a new alfalfa experiment was established at the same location in mid-April 2020. Preliminary data analysis from the first harvest in Stillwater and Lahoma indicated that ADM accumulation was similar when comparing different harvest schedules for all tested cultivars. Furthermore, ADM differences among cultivars were only found in Lahoma, where the reduced lignin alfalfa (54HVX41) had 25% less ADM accumulation than 54VR12 across all harvest frequencies. Finally, the indirect aboveground biomass method with the strongest relationship with ADM data was the grazing height (R2= 0.67, Fig.1). The results discussed in this paragraph are preliminary, as at least two entire alfalfa seasons with four to five harvests per season are necessary for conclusions. 2.Alfalfa Best Management Practices Surveyexploring the main management factors possibly affecting alfalfa yield, and a protocol for contacting alfalfa growers, was developed and initiated. The survey was developed such that it allowed for the calculation of 69 independent variables, such as sowing date, alfalfa cultivar, stand age, type and amount of fertilizer applied, etc. The protocol for contacting growers included in-person visits, phone calls, emails, and other means of communication. These documents were submitted to each university's Research Compliance Office Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects for approval before contacting growers. To date, a total of twenty-eight growers were interviewed and provided data from 73 commercial fields, which combined with the number of years of information provided for each field, resulted in 235 field-years of information. Preliminary data analysis indicated that: 1. Annual alfalfa forage yield ranged from 0.4 to 9.6 tons/ac and averaged 3.81 tons/ac, 2. alfalfa yield increased with increases in the number of cuts per year (likely a consequence of greater yielding fields requiring more cutting operations), 3. Alfalfa yield was lower in fields that received herbicide applications during the growing season (n = 132) versus those that did not receive herbicide (n = 95). We intend to continue with the efforts to collect grower-reported data for a total of at least 600 field-years in Kansas and Oklahoma for increased power of the statistical analysis and soundness of the results. 3. As described in the initial proposal, this goal will be developed inYear 2. 4.Potentialbenefits ofintroducingreduced-lignin alfalfa to forage production systems in the Central Great Plains were disseminated. Also, established reduced lignin alfalfa fields were demonstrated to producers.

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