Pre-sowing Treatment of Alfalfa Seeds with Bio-Extracts for Early Spring Growth Performance

Pakistan faces an acute deficiency of forages for livestock both in terms of dry matter (DM) andtotal digestible nutrient (TDN). Green forage availability fluctuates in months of the year due to prevailingclimate. Alfalfa, with higher potential, can be adjusted in the cropping system for supplying green foragearound the year. Nonetheless, its initial growth for stand establishment is a major issue. Treatments of theexperiments were four alfalfa varieties (i.e. UCD, Dura, Vernal and Cuf 101) whose seed were treated withovernight in bio-extracts solution made of perennial tree leaves. The study compares early growth performanceof alfalfa varieties for forage biomass production. The seed was soaked overnight (14 h) in extractsmade from dry powdered leaves of Bakayn (Azadir achtaindica), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) and water (H2O)and planted in pots on the next morning. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized designat the University of Agriculture Peshawar during winter 2013-14. Periodic growth sampling was taken byharvesting three pots of treatments starting in early spring and thereafter during tHEgrowth to the maximumfive samplings to study roots and shoot growth. Averaged across varieties and extracts, results revealed thatplant length (roots with shoot) was significantly (p 0.05) changed with a minimum at the thermal unit (TU)677 to a maximum at TU 3257. Averaged across TU and extracts, the variety Cuf-101 showed the maximumplant length, root length and shoot length. Averaged across TU and varieties, seeds treated with extracts ofBakayn showed higher length than Ber extract and water (control) treatment. Plant length was significantlyaffected by the interactive effects of treatments (variety x extracts and TU). Similarly, averaged across varietiesx extracts, branch number per plant were also found significant (p 0.05) which increased at TU from 677 to1939 slow and 2532 to 3257 at higher rate. Highest branch number was observed for variety Cuf-101. Rootvolume also increased at TU 2532 and 3257 with maximum for TU 3257. Cuf-101 and Dura varieties werehigh in ratio of shoot to root (RSR) when compared with variety Vernal and/or UCD. Ratio of root lengthto root volume (RRLV) was high at TU 1428 and low at TU 677. Variety UCD and Dura, as well as Vernaland Cuf-101 showed similar RRLV. The study suggested that Cuf-101 was relatively better variety for standestablishment in Peshawar’s climate. Nonetheless, seed treated with extracts was not as effective as expectedfocusing growth and development in early spring for alfalfa.