Distribution and Productivity of Naturalized Alfalfa in Mixed-Grass Prairie
2019
Alfalfa (Medicago
sativa L.) is an important forage and conservation crop in North America
but occurrences of naturalized alfalfa in rangelands are rare. A naturalized
population of yellow-flowered alfalfa in mixed-grass prairie on the Grand River
National Grassland in South Dakota has potential agricultural value for the
region. Despite this value, the distribution pattern of this alfalfa among and
within native plant communities in the northern Great Plains is unknown. Field
studies were conducted from 2003 through 2006 along topographic positions at
two sites where yellow-flowered alfalfa was naturalized to evaluate the
relationships of yellow-flowered alfalfa on biomass production, cover, species
diversity, and alfalfa seedbank distribution characteristics. High
yellow-flowered alfalfa cover (>50%) was associated with increased total
biomass and occurred exclusively in swales and toeslopes that had silty loam
soils. However, species diversity and non-alfalfa biomass were reduced when
yellow-flowered alfalfa cover was high. Yellow-flowered alfalfa cover was lower
and species richness was higher on backslopes and shoulder areas where sandy
loam soils were present. A strong positive linear association existed between
yellow-flowered alfalfa cover and alfalfa seedbank density (r values ranged
from 0.76 to 0.82, P < 0.0001).
Greater than 99% of the seeds were viable but germination rate was only 4%,
indicating a high percentage of hard seed in this alfalfa population.
Naturalized yellow-flowered alfalfa was a dominant component of a stable, low
diversity plant community composed of mainly introduced species in rich soils
of swales/toeslopes that contributed to forage production and quality in
mixed-grass prairie in the northern Great Plains.
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