1. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Chapter 19

2. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Unit 9 Objectives:
Describe cultural practices of growing forage legumes, peas
Identify criteria for selecting forage legumes
Understand climate/temp needs
Examine the relationship of maturity – stage of blooming – to protein content of a forage

3. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Peas
Processing or market may determine variety grown
Cool-season, best grown in late-summer or early fall
Both bush and vine types available for edible pod and regular shelling peas
Vine types produce more for longer periods of time
Require climbing trellis
Cooler, moist climate

4. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Soil
Uniformity in fertility, type, slope, drainage required
Preferred soils: silt loams, sandy loams, clay loams
Need good supply of available moisture
Peas grown in wet soils do not develop adequate root systems
Root rot is often problem
Can dry out as season gets drier
6.5 pH or higher for maximum yields

5. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Soil Temperature at Planting
Good germination at 39-57º
Ensure firm seedbed
Level land makes harvesting more efficient
Harvesting & processing determined by heat units and the processor
April plantings - ~70d to harvest
May plantings - ~60d to harvest
June plantings - ~55d to harvest

6. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Seeding
3-6 seeds/ft of row, 6-8” row spacing
1.5 – 2” depth
480,000 plants/ac
Adequate, not excessive moisture
Slight rolling is ok
Fertilizer
Fertilizer response difficult to predict because of various influences N
Rates should be dictated by soil testing
Seeds should be inoculated at planting to ensure adequate supply of N fixing bacteria

7. Unit 9: Forage & Food LegumesP
Should be banded w/ N, K
Required for vigorous early growth K
Apply and incorporate before planting, or band
Don’t drill w/ the seed to prevent injury
Weed Control
Cultivate as often as necessary for small weeds
Strive to eliminate chemical applications
Insect Control
Observe crop rotation recommendations
Crop may be susceptible to armyworms, cutworms, grasshoppers, loopers

8. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Disease Control
Best management practices will reduce disease risk
Crop rotation, fertility, soil selection, etc.
Nematodes
Use seed from reputable sources
Blights, mildews, stem rot, root rot, etc.
Harvesting, Handling, Storage
Timing determined by tenderometer reading, weather, soil conditions
Yields increase w/ maturity, but decreases quality
Harvested w/ machining process similar to a combine

9. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Storage
Must be promptly cooled to ~32º & 90-95% humidity
May use a hydrocooler to cool quickly, preferred method
Pack w/ ice after precooling to maintain freshness
Don’t keep more than 3 wks under the best storage conditions before canning or sale as fresh

10. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Forage Legumes
Environmentally friendly, improve soil tilth, reduce pesticide use, reduce soil erosion, improve profitability for the producer, excellent feed source
Species Selection
Target use should dictate selection
See pg. 479 for legume forage recommendations

11. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Alfalfa
Productive, even during summer, unless extreme drought
Can last 5+ yrs under proper mgmt
Excellent quality forage
Best Management considerations
Timely cutting
Control insects, diseases, weeds
Replacement of nutrients removed by the forage

12. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Site Selection & Soil Fertility
Prefers: deep, fertile, well-drained soils, pH
Mixing w/ orchard grass, etc. may help improve and lengthen the stand
Requires high fertility for stand establishment
Especially P
Soil test to determine needs
Incorporate lime before seeding
Resample soil after 2 yrs to check fertility
Help to ensure stand longevity
Topdress limestone

13. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
P establishes vigorous stand, stimulates root growth for summer drought resistance, quick spring growth, etc.
N, K needed in small amounts
General needs at seeding:
20-30 lbs N
20-60 lbs K
Incorporate for best effect
Variety Selection
Consistent high yields
Moderate winter hardy
Moderate to high disease resistence

14. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Establishment
May be frost-seeded, broadcast, no-tilled, or drilled
Frost-seed – Jan or Feb
Allow freeze/thaw to work seed into soil
No-till or drilled tends to produce a better stand
Plant no deeper than ¼” for quick emergence
Firm seedbed
Key to establishing a good stand – especially in dry yrs
Broadcast seeding
Firm the seedbed w/ a cultipacker or roller before & after planting

15. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Companion Crop
Can be fall-seeded w/ wheat, oats, etc.
Broadcast during the winter
Provides protection for the young, new crop
Also competes for nutrients, light, etc.
Usually expect 1 cutting of hay in late August, early Sept when seeded w/ companion crop
Seeding Rates & Mixtures
Seeding alone
15lbs/ac of certified seed

16. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Mixed seeding w/ grass
10lbs/ac Bromegrass
6lbs/ac Orchard grass
10lbs/ac Tall Fescue
6lbs/ac Reed Canary Grass
Decreases potential for heaving in the winter, reduces weed competition, lessens damage to soil structure from grazing, reduces bloat potential
Maintaining Alfalfa Stands
Annual fertility program & proper harvest management will increase stand longevity & production

17. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Initial seedings
15+ plants/sq ft
As plants die, others increase in size to take up the space
Alfalfa-grass mixtures can maintain productivity with only 2 alfalfa plants/sq ft
Annual Fertilization
May need: P, K, Boron, lime? to maintain a vigorous stand
Apply according to soil tests
Single application after 1st cutting, or split applications after 1st & 3rd cuttings

18. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Harvest Mgmt
Stage of maturity determines hay quality
Quality declines rapidly after flowering
Should not be grazed/harvested from Sept – Nov 1
Allows plant to store root reserves for overwintering
After Nov 1 – may take another cutting or graze if soil is well drained, or have a grass mixture
3-4 cuttings/yr at bloom stage – stand longevity = 6+ yrs
3-5 cuttings/yr at bud stage – stand longevity = 3-4 yrs

20. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Turn animals in at bud stage, graze to remove most top growth in 6-10d
Allow 30-35d for regrowth
Use poloxalene blocks to prevent bloat
Don’t turn hungry animals into the pasture
Insects
Alfalfa weevil
Usually damages 1st cutting
Scout for following infestations
Spray when 25% of tips are skeletonized or cut early

21. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Potato Leafhopper
Sucks juices from the plant
Yellowing and decreasing plant nutrient content
Damage may be significant before yellowing is apparent
Scout regularly
Weed Control
Establish a uniform, dense stand
Herbicide control depends on alfalfa growth, weed growth, stage of development, etc.

22. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Diseases
Phytophthora Root Rot, bacterial wilt, crown rot
Choose resistant varieties
Use crop rotation
High quality seed
Red Clover
Short-lived perennial legume
Hay, pasture, green manure crop
Not as productive as alfalfa in the summer
Easily established w/ no-till interseeding, or frost-seeding

23. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Harvest 3-4x/yr for medium Red Clover
Bird’s-Foot Trefoil
Deep-rooted perennial legume
Tolerant of lower pH’s, moderate to poor drainage, marginal fertility, withstand flooding, drought
Somewhat difficult to establish
Should be seeded w/ another crop
Characteristics:
Excellent quality forage

24. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Fair palatability
Stores well
Nonbloating
Well-suited for grazing
White Clover
Low-growing, short-lived
Well suited for pastures
Improves forage quality of grass pastures
Reduces need for N fertilizer
Same seeding options as red clover

25. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Shallow rooted
Doesn’t tolerate drought well
Ladino clover
More productive variety
Annual Lespedeza
Spring-sown, warm-season legume
Hay, pasture, soil erosion control
Relatively low yielding
High quality nutritive value
Excellent for pasture in the late summer

26. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Can persist well if allowed to reseed
Managing Forages
Seed Yr Management
Establishing good stand critical for production
Select proper species
Use proper crop rotation to improve productivity, reduce disease risk, insect problems
Don’t reseed alfalfa after an alfalfa stand
Produces a toxin that will reduce germination & growth

27. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Fertilization & Liming
Essential for economic forage production
Soil test before seeding for proper nutrient balance
Test continually to maintain proper nutrient levels
pH above 6.5
Lime when pH is >.2-.3 less than recommended pH
Seed Inoculation
Inoculate w/ proper N fixing bacteria prior to seeding to ensure good nodulation

28. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Especially important in fields that haven’t had legumes
Purchase proper inoculum for the forage seeded
Check expiration date on seed bag, reinoculate if necessary
Seed Treatment
Highly recommended for control of root rots
Helps stand establishment
Spring Seedings
Plant as soon as area can be prepared after Mar 15
Plants will be well-established by summer

29. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Weed pressure may be a struggle
Seeding w/out a companion crop may allow for 2-3 cuttings in the seeding yr
Seeding w/ a companion crop will increase tonnage the first yr, forage quality will be decreased
Manage the competition when seeding
Use early-maturing, stiff-strawed varieties
Sow at bu/ac
Remove small grains early as silage or pasture
Don’t apply additional N to the companion crop

30. Unit 9: Forage & Food Legumes
Late Summer Seedings
Excellent time for stand establishment if moisture is sufficient
Time to establish before winter
August is preferred time
Don’t use a companion crop
Seeding Basics
Smooth, firm, weed-free seedbeds
Conserve moisture
Seeding depth ¼ - ½”