
Season and Varieties
Zone District/Season |
Month |
Variety |
Irrigated |
Coimbatore, Thiruppur, Erode and Dharmapuri |
Throughout the year |
CO 1 & CO 2 |
Particulars of Lucerne Variety
PARTICULARS |
CO 1 |
CO 2 |
Parentage |
Mass selection from Coimbatore local |
Poly cross derivative involving CO 1 |
Duration (Days) |
Perennial |
Perennial |
Green fodder yield (t/ha/year) |
80-90 (11-12 harvests) |
130 (14 harvests) |
Seed yield (kg/ha) |
200 - 230 |
245 |
Morphological characters |
Plant height (cm) |
60 - 70 |
70-80 |
No. of branches per plant |
12 - 15 |
15-20 |
No. of pods per stems |
10-15 |
18-20 |
No. of seeds per pod |
3-5 |
4-6 |
Quality characters |
Protein content (%) |
20 - 22 |
23.5 |
Dry matter (%) |
18 - 20 |
16.8 |
Dry matter yield (t/ha/year) |
16.15 |
21.94 |
Special features of Lucerne CO 2
- More number of stems per crown with soft and dark green leaves
- High crude protein (23.5 %) and dry matter yield (21.94 t/ha/yr)
- Profuse flowering nature leads to enhanced seed yield
- Superior ratooning ability and early flowering render 14 harvests per year
- Highly palatable, preferred by milch cattle, goat, sheep and horses
|
 |
|
Profuse flowering of Lucerne CO 2 |
Package of Practices
Season |
: |
Throughout the year under irrigated conditions in Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Krishnagiri districts of Tamil Nadu (Not suitable for hot and humid areas) |
Soil |
: |
Well drained black cotton soil is good. Can be raised in alkaline soils also. |
Preparatory cultivation |
: |
Plough 2 to 3 times to obtain a good tilth and form beds and channels of convenient size |
Manures and fertilizers |
: |
Basal
FYM - 25 tonnes/ha
NPK - 25: 120: 40 kg/ha |
Seed rate |
: |
15 kg/ha |
Spacing |
: |
25 cm apart in lines |
Weed management |
: |
Hand weeding whenever necessary |
Plant protection |
: |
Generally not required for fodder production |
Water management |
: |
Immediately after sowing and life irrigation on 3rd day. Then once in 10 days depending on soil type and weather condition.
Sprinklers can also be installed |
Harvest |
: |
The first harvest 60-65 days after sowing.
Subsequent harvests are made at an interval of 20-25 days |
Green fodder yield |
: |
90-130 t/ha/year (in 12-14 harvests) |
 |
 |
Bed Preparation |
Sowing |
 |
 |
Irrigation after sowing |
Installation of sprinkler in Lucerne field |
 |
 |
Weeding |
Manual Harvesting |
 |
 |
Harvesting by brush cutter |
Green Fodder Yield |
Seed production Technologies
Season |
: |
Seed production once in a year during summer months.The crop should be harvested during first week of March and allowed for seed production in such a way that the peak period of flowering should coincide with summer days. |
Manures and fertilizers |
: |
Top dressing:
NPK - 15: 120 : 40 kg/ha. |
Plant protection |
: |
Spraying 0.05% Methyl Dematon or Dimethoate is suggested for the control of Aphids/Ear head bug. |
Micronutrient application |
: |
Spraying of 3% Borax + ZnSO4 solution at flower initiation and 50 % flowering stage. |
Seed harvest |
: |
Hand picking of pods at physiological maturity stage |
Seed yield |
: |
200-240 kg/ha |

Lucerne Seed setting
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